


Hogwarts Stuck Year Three

by nicklewho



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Homestuck
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-03-13 20:04:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3394631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicklewho/pseuds/nicklewho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The beta attend hogwarts. This is a companion to Hogwarts Stuck Years One and Two.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hogwarts Stuck Year Three

**Author's Note:**

> I'm splitting this year up into two parts, before and after winter break.

Feferi  
Summer was GREAT! Eridan and I went to the beach again, and he was much less of a wallflower this trip. We swam and caught up, and it was great! I was so sad to leave the seaside, but my mum wanted to hit Diagon Alley early on  
But I was worried about Aradia. Terezi’s plan didn’t seem to be working, and Aradia was drawing into herself more and more. But I did not want to disappoint, and I was good at following directions, so I decided to wait till I saw her so see if ‘Operation Cherry Cough Syrup’ was still in motion.  
I tried writing her, but Eridan didn’t like me writing people. He said it was a waste. I disagreed. I made more of an effort to write Sollux. I’d send owls in the dead of night. They were intercepted by Eridan’s numerous owls, but some of them got through. I got only one response. It said,  
Hey FF,  
My 2ummer’s fiine. Don’t let Ampora get you down. You’re at the 2ea, aren’t you? Cour2e you are, Ii know you. Can’t waiit to 2ee you iin the year.  
-Sollux

Boys are confusing. What does “Can’t wait to see you in the year” even mean?  
Anyways, I was so happy to be in Diagon Alley because my mum was able to stay with us. Even when we went to the sea, she was always leaving, like she had other children to attend to. But in Diagon Alley she could spend some time with Meenah and I. We both got new robes, and Meenah got Quidditch robes as well. I finally found a pet right for me! It was a cuttlefish! It could follow me around in a reverse air pocket. I was so excited to have a friend coming with me! Meanwhile, trouble was brewing. Ex Agent Jack Noir was on the move. he escaped Azkaban and was committing tiny crimes while running around the country. I was nervous, but the guards of Azkaban, the Horrorterrors, would find him easily.  
I saw Terezi in Diagon Alley. I greeted her.  
“Hey, Terezi! So good to see you!” I immediately regretted my mistake, but she either didn’t notice, or didn’t care.   
“Hey, fishface!” she said. “How was your summer?”  
“Ya know, it was fine.” I said, wanting to get to the point. “So, is Operation-” she shushed me. I tried to speak again, but she put her finger up to my lips. Or, she tried to, but the finger ended up somewhere around my eyebrow.  
“I talked to him... Sollux... already.” she said. “He wanted to call the plan off, but I want it to keep going. It’s what’s best.”  
“Okay, so, keep it up but not around Sol-” she nodded hurriedly. My heart rate quickened. I wanted Aradia to be okay, but I hated lying to Sollux. Just then, I noticed Eridan talking to Vriska nearby and furiously led Terezi behind a stack of books so they wouldn’t notice. As they walked away I whispered my understanding of the plan to Terezi, who sighed.  
"I hate to lie but what choice do we have? Sollux has been blinded by emotions, and refuses to see reason." I nodded.  
"Shall we go into the bookstore?" I asked, as we made our way to the door, Sollux and Karkat emerged from Flourish and Blotts. I grinned.  
“Sollux! Crabsnack!” Karkat mumbled something under his breath, but I ignored him.   
“You didn’t respond to my letters.” said Sollux.  
“Eridan’s brother thinks it’s funny to intercept my owls.” I lied again, not wanting to give Sollux and Eridan more reasons to fight.  
“Oh. Cronus, right?” he inquired, rolling his eyes. I felt uncomfortable.  
“Right.” we continued our conversation, and we talked about our summers. I couldn’t look at Sollux without a sinking feeling in my gut. Already I'd lied to him twice. How many times would I have to cover up my flaws and secrets this year?  
Finally I made my excuses and left the three to find Eridan, giving Terezi and apologetic pat on the shoulder. I had avoided my bestie earlier and felt guilty about it. He chastised me for being away from him for so long.  
I ran into Vriska the next morning in the ice cream shop. I smiled, pretending to be happy to see her. She wasn’t all bad, but Terezi was nicer. And you could only seem to like one or the other.  
“Hey, Feferi.” she said. I grinned, but I was put off by the slippery qualities to her voice that developed over the summer. It made me feel uneasy' like at any second she would spin me into a web of deceit. Jeez, I was starting to sound like Pyrope!  
“Hi, Vriska!” I said. She smiled, holding her blueberry triple swirl delight ice cream in her left hand and a spoon in her right. She had pretty blue robes that swiped the floor when she walked. Something about her seemed older, and the way she walked, talked, and held herself was just terrifying. She reminded me of spiders that got into the beach house, creepy, crawly, and witty.  
“Heard you and Eridan went to the sea over the summer.”  
“That we did.” I replied. She smiled. A chill went down my spine.  
“That’s nice.” she said. “Try the blueberry triple swirl-”  
“I have.” I interrupted. “I didn’t much care for it.” she smiled and stalked off. I didn’t know what inspired me to be so chilly toward Vriska but it felt good.  
I ended up getting plain Strawberry ice cream and on my way out of the shop I saw Jade and Rose. They seemed deep in conversation, and I didn’t want to intrude, so I grinned and waved and they waved merrily in return.  
But Diagon Alley couldn’t last forever, and soon it was time to say goodbye to my mum and follow Meenah onto the platform and join my fellow students on the way to Hogwarts.

Terezi  
Summer really sucked. My father spent as much time as he could trying to get me to be the perfect little pureblood, and my mum was away for work more often than not. I ran into Vriska way more than I wanted to, and was forced into conversation with her. Bluh.  
I spent the little time I had to myself writing to my friends. Well, my friends and Dave. I loved to annoy him. I wrote to Rose and Sollux and Jade mainly. I wrote to Kanaya sometimes, but things were still awkward around her after the failed Operation Rainbow Rumpus Party Town. I was determined for the new operation to go much better. There was a lot more at stake, after all.  
I considered writing to Aradia, but it went against the distance plan of Operation Cherry Cough Syrup, so I never did. Despite being a new year, the plan was still well underway.  
Finally, summer ended and I persuaded Father that I was old enough to go to Diagon Alley by myself. I wondered if I would run into anyone I knew. I hadn’t made any plans, but it could happen.  
Of course, it was just my luck that the first person I smelled upon entering Diagon Alley was one Gamzee Makara. He smelled like licorice and grape popsicles, and even at balls and parties I’d barely spoken to him, but something about him rubbed me the wrong way.  
“Hey, motherfucker! How’s your summer been?” I suppressed a sigh, before wondering why I was so annoyed with the boy. I could at least try to be civil with him.  
“Hey, Gamzee.”  
“What are you doing here?”  
“Same thing you are, dumbass”  
“Right. School is all up and starting soon, isn’t it? I’ve still got a lot of shopping to do.”  
“Yeah, I just got here.”  
“I can all motherfuckin see that.”  
“I can’t!”  
“Oh yeah…”  
“So, lots to do then! Better leave you be,” I said, anxious to get away from him.  
“Yeah, bye. See you at Hogwarts,” he said, and then paused. “Oh, shit right. I guess you’ll smell me there, or something?”  
I didn’t deign to reply, and strode away from the licorice boy. I got my books for all my classes, as well as a new cauldron for Potions. Professor Condesce was really demanding, and she wanted me to get an exact brand of cauldron. The shop was almost sold out. I was really glad I’d gotten one on time.  
As I exited the store, someone called my name. I thought for a moment, and then placed the voice. It was actually someone I was happy to run into! I greeted them as they came towards me.  
“Hey, Karkles,” I said. I could almost feel him roll his eyes.  
“Fuck, Terezi. I told you to stop calling me that.”  
I cackled. “But the name perfectly suits your delicious smell.”  
“You are insane. Like, certified, fucking insane.”  
I realized then that Karkat wasn’t alone, as somebody exited a nearby store and came up to him. The new person also smelled familiar, but very different from Karkat’s delicious cherry scent. This someone could have smelled like apples and blueberries, but insisted in covering it up with an icky mustard.  
“Hey, Sollux!”  
“TZ. Great. Now my day is ruined.”  
I would have rolled my eyes. “You’re mistaking me with Eridan, dumbass. And I haven’t seen him yet, so you are in the clear!”  
“Maybe if I shout his name really loud, he’ll come running,” Karkat offered. I laughed. After talking for awhile with the two of them, we completed our shopping together.  
Sollux pulled me aside as Karkat looked at quills. “I’m calling it off,” he hissed. I looked at him.  
“Calling what off?”  
“Operation Strawberry whateverthefuck-”  
“Operation Cherry Cough Syrup-”  
“-yeah that. It wasn’t working, and we need to do something that actually AA,” he told me. I tried to protest, but he was firm in his point. I sighed in agreement, finally giving in. So far, my operations were zero for two. Then, Karkat shoved his way into the conversation, and all talk of operations was over.  
At one point, they had to go into Flourish and Blotts, while I waited outside. A new scent approached. Something sweet, and also familiar.  
“Hey Fishface,” I offered Feferi in way of greeting. She also said something about vision, but unlike Gamzee, I had no problem with it. Weird.  
Feferi began to talk about the top secret operation, so I hushed her. Anyone could hear. Finally, she seemed to get the point. I informed her that Sollux had called it off, but then, decided in the spur of the moment it would be best to keep it going. Feferi seemed to understand.  
I smelled a familiar blueberry scent, and winced, hoping it wasn’t Vriska. I couldn’t hear her though, so I relaxed. There was also a watery scent and I wondered briefly if Eridan was nearby, because Sollux would hate that, but before I could ask, he and Karkat walked out of the shop. Feferi greeted them cheerfully.  
They offered back greetings that weren’t half as friendly. We talked for awhile, and I became even more determined to keep my plan going. Despite Sollux’s reservations, I was sure it was going to work out. Eventually, we parted ways with Feferi, and finished our shopping.  
I exited Diagon Alley reluctantly, headed back to a few more days with my Father. He was in a mood all the time now, ever since Jack Noir escaped from Azkaban. I tried not to think about any of it.  
Already I couldn’t wait for the school year to begin, but as September 1st drew closer and closer, my thoughts were on Aradia more and more. I wondered how the new stuff with SBURB was affecting her. I hoped she was ok, and I hoped that Operation Cherry Cough Syrup would work out.  
Despite my few doubts about everything to come, and all the problems with Vriska and Gamzee and Aradia, I knew it was going to be a great year.

Jade:  
I was really happy to see Bec again. I’d missed him during the school year. I still hated that dogs weren’t allowed at Hogwarts, even though cats were. We had lots of fun over the summer, and when I wasn’t with him, I wrote to my friends. Rose and I kept up correspondence all summer, and she came to visit me once, for a whole week! We spent it roaming the hills of my island, camping, telling stories, and growing closer. It was nice to have a really close girl friend, since before my closest friend was John. We planned to meet up at Diagon Alley in late August. John was also coming that day.  
I wrote to Feferi, but she didn’t reply. I hoped nothing was wrong. Aradia never answered my letters either, but she’d been acting weird all year. Nepeta and I kept up a steady stream of letters though, and I enjoyed all of our conversations. I also wrote to Kanaya, who was entertaining as always, and Karkat, who was just as much an asshole in his letters as he was in real life, in a funny kind of way. I never failed to giggle at his writing.   
Finally, summer drew to a close, and I found myself at Diagon Alley for the third time. I was so excited! I was meeting John and Rose at Flourish and Blotts, and Nepeta said she might come today as well. I was the first one there, and I waited impatiently for my friends.  
“Hello Jade,” came a familiar voice from behind me. I turned and squealed, throwing myself at Rose for a hug.  
“It’s so great to see you,” I gushed. She smiled at me, unshaken my my bear hug.  
“You do realize we saw each other a few weeks ago?”  
“Yeah, but it’s not the same as when we see each other every day!” I drew back from Rose, and noticed that something was wrong with her. “Are you okay?” I asked, concerned.  
“I’m fine.”  
“No, you aren’t.”  
“Yes.”  
“No.”  
“I refuse to get into this,” Rose said, and then she paused. “It’s Kanaya,” she finally admitted. “She replied to my letters all summer, but brushed me off when I suggested meeting here.”  
“I thought she’d forgiven you for that whole mess with Vriska.” I felt bad for Rose. Even she denied her crush on Kanaya, passing it off as a strong friendly connection. The poor girl was incredibly smart, but so misguided n the romance department. I gave her gentle hints and dropped tidbits of advice now and then, because I didn't want to come on too strong, but she never seemed to pick up on them. I snapped from my thought as Rose sighed and answered my question.   
“So did I,” she told me, and we shared a small smile. I put my hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner, and I was about to offer some advice when somebody cleared their throat behind me, and Rose’s expression changed to one of slight panic. “Right, Jade. There’s something you should probably know-”  
She didn’t get to finish her sentence before I followed her gaze and whirled around. At first, I smiled, seeing John, but the smile dropped from my face the moment I saw the boy standing next to him. “Strider,” I hissed. My day went from good to horrible in five seconds flat. He grinned.  
“Hey Harley. Didn’t expect to see you here today.”  
I groaned, and then glared at John. “If you planned this, don’t expect to live through the night,” I threatened him. He laughed nervously. “I’m not kidding!”  
“Yeah, well it was Rose’s idea.”  
I turned to her, but before I could open my mouth, she was speaking. “Strangely enough, John and I actually enjoy Dave’s company as much as we enjoy yours. So if you could at least attempt to be civil to him, we could all enjoy the day.” Her violet eyes, so vulnerable moments ago, were now flashing.   
I rolled my eyes, and shot a glare at Dave, but I finally conceded. If he wasn’t as much of an asshole as usual (fat chance of that), I could still have a fun day.  
Three hours later, as we exited Potage’s Cauldron Shop, I was at my wits end with Dave Strider. I nearly collapsed with relief when I saw another familiar face.  
“Nepeta!” I said happily, and the girl spun towards me. She was standing with Equius Zahhak, her best friend. I didn’t particularly like him, but he was better than some people. Such as Dave Strider, whose company I could now escape.  
“Jade,” the girl replied with a smile. She’d grown a little over the summer, but she still looked far too young for her age. “I’m so happy to see you!”  
I glanced over my shoulder, but Dave was still inside the shop and Rose and John were deep in conversation. “Can I shop with you for the rest of the day?” I practically pleaded. Nepeta pursed her lips.  
“I don’t know, I’ll have to ask Equius,” she said, and turned towards the boy. “Hey, Equius!”  
“Yes, Nepeta?”  
“Could Jade shop with us for the rest of the day?”  
The boy hesitated. “Please? She’s purrfectly nice, and I’m sure we’ll all have lots of fun!”  
“I suppose that is alright.”  
I practically jumped for joy. I headed over to John and Rose, and said my goodbyes. I was sad to see them go, but I knew I would see them again soon enough. I headed back to Nepeta and Equius, and we talked for awhile before meandering off.  
“What extra classes are you two taking?” I asked them.  
“I am taking Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy. I look forward to the first one. There are some particularly strong creatures we get to study.”  
“I’m taking Care of Magical Creatures with him, but I’m also taking Divination. It would be pawsitively wonderful to be able to see the future!”  
“Nepeta, I’m still not sure it is wise to take Divination. It seems like such a...frivolous class.”  
“I’m sure it will be lots of fun, no matter what you say!”  
The two of them bickered for a moment, before Nepeta turned back to me. “What about you?”  
“I’m taking Care of Magical Creatures too, as well as Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.”  
“So we’ll have classes together! And you’ll have two with Equius here.”  
Equius nodded at me. “I look forward to having class with you.”  
I smiled at him, but I wasn’t sure what to say.  
I shopped with Nepeta for the rest of the day, and then I met up with Rose. We were staying at the leaky cauldron together, which was really exciting. I felt so grown up, even though Rose’s older cousin, Roxy, was right next door. Rose frowned at me as I sank down on one of the beds across from her.  
“What?” I said, but I had a guess on what she was unhappy about.  
“I know you don’t like Dave, but John and I were looking forward to seeing you. It wasn’t necessary for you to abandon us.” Her voice was controlled, but I could tell she was angry and even dismayed. I sighed, not sure how to fix the situation.  
“He just gets on my nerves so much, though! Besides, I’m talking to you now.”  
Rose sighed, but didn’t elaborate on the topic. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Rose got up, her hand on her wand as she opened the door, only relaxing when she realized it was her cousin.  
“Hellooo, Rosey,” she drawled out, clearly drunk. I’d only seen the girl, now a sixth year, a few times in the hallway, but I was pretty sure she was always drunk. Rose looked at her cousin, and her face was inscrutable as always, but I’d gotten better at reading her.  
There was some irritation on it at her cousin’s entrance, a small bit of what seemed like pity, and something...else.  
“And Jade! It is Jade right?” she said, turning to me.  
“Um...yeah.”  
“Brilliant,” she grinned. “So what have you two been up to?”  
Rose and I exchanged a look, but before we could answer, Roxy looked towards the open door. It was clear she’d heard something. “Dirk,” she called out. “Come talk to me!”  
It wasn’t another minute until another familiar face, Dirk Strider, was in our entry way. He didn’t even bother to knock, but came in, raising an eyebrow at Roxy.  
“No!” I said finally speaking, waving my hands at Dirk. “You, out. I am not talking to you and I am not looking at you!”  
Rose looked at me oddly. “I could understand your hatred of Dave, but hating his brother is just ridiculous.”  
“I don’t hate him! I just...Jake,” I said, fumbling with my words. I'm sure this boy was terribly nice but I couldn't look at him without seeing him swirling his tongue around inside my cousins mouth. Roxy’s smile suddenly seemed fake.  
“Is there a reason I’ve been called in here, or can I go back to the much more peaceful utter solitude, in which I do not have to stand by three girls?” Dirk said, his accent even more obvious than Dave’s.  
“Well if my company is just not cool enough for you, then sure, go be boring!” Roxy said.  
“Yeah, whatever. I’m trying to talk to-”  
“-Are you talking to Jake?” Roxy cooed, but something about her tone seemed...a little off. Rose noticed too, and was staring at her cousin with the same strange look I’d seen earlier.  
Dirk rolled his eyes. “Attempting, more like. He’s not answering me. Again.”  
“Well feel free to go talk to your boyfriend Dirk. I’ll just totes talk to you tomorrow!” Roxy offered in way of reply.  
“I look forward to it.”  
The boy who would hopefully not someday marry my cousin and doom me to a life near Dave left the room. Something on Roxy’s face crumpled the moment he walked away, but she pushed it down and bid the two of us goodnight. Rose watched her leave, and stared at the door once she was gone. Her face was drawn.  
I wasn’t quite sure what had happened that night until nearly a week later, the night before September 1st, as a lay awake in bed. The way Roxy had looked at Dirk...it was familiar. I’d seen it on Rose’s face many times. The Lalondes were excellent at hiding their emotions until it came to who they loved. I felt like I was reading Roxy or Rose's personal diaries every time I looked at them.   
I’ve always been pretty oblivious when it comes to people, but as I reflected on the week, I began to realize that Rose and her cousin had a lot in common after all.  
They both had feelings for someone who might never feel the same.

Dave  
Summer was awesome. I went to visit John at his house and he visited me in Texas. I’m pretty sure I’m the only student at Hogwarts, besides Dirk, who isn’t British. Maybe that’s why Jade thinks I’m so annoying.  
But it was time to go to Diagon Alley, so we left Bro’s house and boarded a plane to London about two weeks before school started. I made plans with John and Rose to see them there, and I hoped I’d see Jade, too. Dirk and I split up when we got there.  
Unfortunately, the first person I ran into was Vriska Serket. She looked me up and down. I realized with a start that she was taller than me. Unfair.  
“Hey, Dave.” she said. I nodded. Not only was she taller, but something else was different. It felt like I was talking to a younger wannabe version of Professor Mindfang.   
“Hey, Vriska.”  
“So, where’s John?”  
“Why do you care?” I asked. Vriska stared.  
“Look, I know I was a bit of a bitch to him last year, but I had-”  
“Yeah, all right.” I said. She rolled her eyes.  
“If you want to be an asshole, Dave, then fine. At least let John decide what’s best for him.”  
“John doesn’t know what’s best for him. He’s basically a baby in a teenage boy’s body.” She grinned.  
“Yeah, that he is.” I nodded, but she interrupted. “Just back off of us, okay?” she stalked off, and something about her put me off. I shook the feeling and went to my Gringotts vault. Bro had a ton of his money turned into Wizarding money for me. Despite him being a shitty guardian in general, he did seem to care, even if it was just a little bit.  
I met up with John, and he said that we were meeting Rose and possibly Jade outside the bookstore. I followed him as he led me through the crowd and we came upon Jade and Rose talking. Jade was less than happy to see me. I zoned out because I was used to seeing Jade hate me, and Rose put the smackdown on her, so Jade was silent for a while.  
I talked to Rose, who seemed distant, as John and Jade slowly shuffled behind us.  
“It’s Kanaya.” she said. I nodded.  
“Yeah, Vriska’s acting pretty weird too.”  
“You saw her?”  
“Yeah. She grew over the summer. A lot. She looks like 16.” I said. Rose groaned and said something along the lines of,  
“How am I supposed to compete with that? Kanaya already-”  
“Already what?” I asked, eager to hear some bullshit girl gossip. Rose rolled her eyes.  
“Never mind. Now, David, those robes are far too small for you. Seems like Vriska’s not the only one who grew over the summer.”  
She forced me into Madame Malkin’s, and she and John laughed as I was fitted for robes. Jade sulked.  
After a lot of shopping, we ran into Zahhak and Leijon. Zahhak was huge as ever, and being in his presence made me wonder if he did anything but work out.   
Jade and Nepeta tittered about the year and such, and I noticed Sollux and Terezi arguing. Sollux retreated into Flourish and Blotts, and Feferi approached. I wanted to see what was up, but Rose stepped on my foot, hard.  
“Ow, what the-”  
“That is none of your business.” she hissed. I put my hands up in surrender. It sometimes felt like Rose was my annoying older sister.  
Then, Jade left with Equius and Nepeta and John, Rose and I went to the Leaky Cauldron for a late lunch. We talked about the classes we were taking, and Rose insisted that there was a way she could take them all.  
“That can’t be possible.” I said. “There’s not enough time.”  
“That is where you’d be wrong, David.” she replied airily, pouring tea. “I have it all worked out with Handmaid and Redglare.”  
“Okaaaaay...” I said. “I’m taking Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy.”  
“I’m taking Care of Magical Creatures, too! And Ancient Runes.” said John excitedly.  
“That’s great, John!” said Rose. “I am told by my older cousin’s friend Jane that Ancient Runes is a lot of fun. Also, Arithmancy is something that the Striders seem skilled at.” she said. I nodded.  
“Yeah, Dirk is pretty big on numbers, so I figured, eh, what the hell. Sounds like fun.” she nodded.  
“Roxy talks about Dirk a lot.”  
“Yeah. Poor girl. Dirk is gayer than Elton John singing a duet with John Barrowman on fucking rainbow.”  
“That’s pretty gay.” said John. Rose was silent.  
Later that evening, Rose went to find Jade. They were sharing a room, and no one had seen her since she went off with Nepeta and her monster of a friend.  
John and I went back upstairs to our room. As I was haphazardly tossing my things back into my trunk, since I didn’t want to do it all on the night before school started, John spoke up.  
“I don’t think Jade would hate you so much if you stopped asking her out.” he said. I rolled my eyes, which he couldn’t see because of my shades.  
“Ladies,” I said, crossing my arms, “Like to be swept off their feet.” John rolled his eyes, which were clearly visible behind his clear glasses. Clear glasses are too normal.  
“Well, Jade is not just anyone.” he said. “Maybe she doesn’t like to be swept off her feet.” I pondered.  
“All ladies like to be swept off their feet.” I said firmly, and then I went back to deciding if a certain pair of underwear was clean.  
The week in Diagon Alley passed in a flash. I’d never had so much fun with Rose, and I even found myself liking Terezi. She was cool, when she wasn’t scheming with Rose or leaving me out of plans. We had a drawing competition. I won, but she replied that the law always won and took the prize.  
Rose came into our room one night. She clarified that Jade was sleeping, and that she was worried. She pulled me aside and spoke very quickly.  
“I’m worried about Roxy.” she said. I nodded.  
“Okay-” I began to reply, but she interrupted.  
“She’s- not well.” Rose continued speaking, and I heard Dirk’s name a few times. I listened. Her face was flushed, and she seemed to be on the verge of tears.  
When she was finished talking, I embraced her.  
“Roxy’s a big girl,” I said, awkwardly patting Rose on the back. “She can take care of herself.”  
“That’s the thing, said Rose, pulling away. “I don’t think that she can.”  
I walked with Jade, Rose, John, Dirk and Roxy to the platform. Dirk went off in search of his boyfriend, and Roxy went off in search of Dirk. Rose went after Roxy, to talk to her, and John saw Vriska. Before I knew it, I was alone with Jade.  
“So, hey.” I said. She sighed.  
“Hi.”  
“Excited for school?” I said casually. She scoffed.  
“Do you care?”  
“Yes.” I said truthfully. Jade looked at me, then looked away. Then she noticed Feferi and made a beeline for the girl and I was left alone amongst the students.

Eridan:  
I had mixed feelings about returning to Hogwarts. It had been nice to spend the summer with Fef, but I was glad to get away from my Father. He could be more than a little overbearing, and his hatred of the mudbloods meant I couldn’t talk to Rose and Aradia, who weren’t all that bad. However, I used it as an excuse to stop Feferi writing to that asshole, Sollux.  
Finally, I was back on the train, and I stuck close to Fef, hoping that we would find a compartment with less tension than last year. I nearly breathed a sigh of relief when we walked into one with Equius and Nepeta. “Hi guys,” Feferi offered cheerfully. Jade and Nepeta gave back equally excitable greetings, and Equius offered a small hello. I stayed silent. I didn’t hate anyone I was sitting with, but I didn’t like them either. Equius, as a pureblood, I’d known for awhile, and he just seemed to be really fucking creepy all the time. I leaned back and stared at the ceiling.  
Nepeta had grown up some over the summer, and she actually looked kind of cute now. Not that I would ever consider asking out a halfblood. My father would kill me, and I was too superior to do such a thing.  
My head snapped forward, towards the door, when I heard someone walking by. I recognized Aradia Megido, and she looked really horrible. Almost like a ghost.  
Feferi clearly noticed too, because she frowned. Strangely enough though, she didn’t invite Aradia in. The girl paused outside the compartment, but when Feferi didn’t say anything, she gave a small bitter smile before turning to walk on.  
I wondered what was up between the two of them, but I didn’t care enough about the mudblood to invite her in. Besides, I didn’t want to upset Fef. I was very surprised when Equius cleared his throat.  
“Aradia,” he said, and she jolted, turning around, back towards our compartment. “Would you like to sit with me?” he coughed, glancing towards Feferi. “I mean, if that’s alright with you, heiress.”  
“Feferi!” she corrected him, glaring at the boy. There was more to the glare though then issues with her name, and it seemed that Equius knew that as well. He seemed to sink in on himself.  
“My apologies, Feferi. It seems a summer was enough to put me back in that deplorable habit.”  
I could tell that he was apologizing for more than the name thing. I was really fucking sick of it.  
“Yeah, whatever,” I said glancing at Aradia. “Just sit down already, will you.”  
She sat down silently, and in the light, I could tell just how worn her face really looked. Nepeta nudged Equius, and he looked at her. They had some sort of conversation.  
Yeah, I had really no idea what was going on in this car.  
Finally, Equius moved a little towards Aradia. She gave no reaction. “How was your summer?” he asked.  
“Fine,” she said dully. More footsteps sounded. It was just my luck that the next person to appear was the worst possible person I could imagine showing up.  
“Sollux!” Feferi cried, and her voice was up to its usual level excitement. I glanced at her. Her face was glowing, and she looked beautiful. All because of Sollux, but I tried to forget that part, and pretended she was looking at me. Sollux entered the compartment, and I said goodbye to any sort of peaceful train ride. Then he saw Aradia, and stopped short. Aradia flinched and looked down. Equius glared at Sollux. Feferi had a guilty look on her face. Nepeta was smiling creepily.  
I resisted the urge to bang my head against the wall.  
“Hi, AA,” Sollux said, and his annoying voice that I had tried so hard to forget made its way back into my head. Aradia didn’t respond.  
“Yeah, we get it, you missed your girlfriend. Any chance you could not bother us with your face anymore?” I offered up, still not liking the way Feferi was looking at him. She turned to glare at me. I winced.  
“Oh god, I forgot about this asshole,” Sollux complained, sitting down next to Aradia. She moved a little away from him, towards Equius. Nepeta looked at her sharply, and her eyes brightened.  
“Sollux!” Feferi accused. I grinned, but the smile fell of my face when she yelled at me too. “Both of you! You will get along and we will have a perfectly nice train ride, or I will be forced to dunk you both in the lake and feed you to the giant squid!”  
She made no fish puns as she spoke, and I gulped realizing she was serious. Sollux and I exchanged one last glare.  
“You two really seem to hate each other,” Nepeta said, finally speaking. She was looking between the two of us with a suspicious look on her face. Equius finally turned away from Aradia to lay a hand on his friend’s shoulder.  
“Nepeta,” he said gently. “No.”  
She glared at him. “You don’t get to say what I do.”  
“In this case, I believe it would be best that I do.”  
“No!”  
“Yes.”  
“No.”  
“Yes.”  
“No.”  
“Yes.”  
“No-”  
“Oh my fucking god,” Sollux exclaimed loudly. “We get it. You’re a creepy asshole who dictates everything she does, now can you both be quiet?”  
I snorted. “There’s more than one creepy asshole in this car and the other one-”  
“Eridan!”  
I winced at the volume of Feferi’s voice, and took a minute to wonder at Sollux’s anger towards Equius. My confusion mounted as Equius glared at Sollux.  
“Is it so bad that I involve myself in my friend’s life? Better than ignoring her for months on end,” he said, tone cold. Sollux flinched. Aradia looked up.  
“Equius!” Feferi and Nepeta both screeched. Feferi continued on speaking. “We do not glub about Operation Ch-”  
“Operation Rainbow Rumpus Party Town,” Sollux interrupted, looking at Aradia. She looked back at him with a bit of confusion, but mainly disinterest. “What does that have to do with anything, FF?”  
“I’m reasonably certain she wasn’t about to say that,” I added in, my confusion mounting. I was aware of Terezi’s insane operation, but there was another one? My irritation was growing too.  
“Yes I was,” Feferi said quickly.  
“What’s Operation Rainbow Rumpus Purrty town?” Nepeta asked, curious. “I thought you were talking about Operation Che-”  
“I have no idea what else I could be talking about,” Feferi said, her voice higher than usual.  
“May I ask why we are avoiding talking about this?” Equius said. Sollux ignored him.  
“How was your summer, AA?”  
“Fine.”  
“Equius and I had a great time,” Nepeta said with much more enthusiasm. “It would have been better if we’d seen you though.”  
“Nepeta,” Equius said in warning.  
That was it. I had no fucking clue what was going on.  
“Will someone tell me what the fuck is goin on?”  
“Oh, look. The high and mighty Eridan Ampora doesn’t know something,” Sollux taunted.  
“That’s it,” I said finally. “Clearly, I am not wanted here, and I cannot take another moment of your bullshit. I’m gonna…go find Vris or somethin.”  
No one protested. Sollux shouted, “Good riddance,” as I walked away, but I ignored him. I was aware that I was probably being loud, but I was irritated with practically everyone in that compartment, and just as curious about what was going on.  
I finally found Vriska’s compartment and walked in without knocking. “Vris, do you have any idea-” I paused, looking around.  
Makara, Rose, Vriska, Karkat and Kanaya. They were glaring at each other, or at absolutely nothing. They looked at me. “No. I am not going through this again,” I said, and stormed right back out, headed back to my previous compartment. I knew what was going on between Vriska, Rose, and Kanaya, and I wanted no part in it.  
When I got back to my compartment, we had an addition. Terezi. I didn’t mind her, but she seemed just as tense, and seemed to know everything that was going on.  
“Oh, great, you’re back,” Sollux complained.  
“I smell purple and the ocean,” Terezi said. “Hello, Eridan.” she grinned, and her teeth looked nearly sharp.  
“Hi, Ter. Do you know anything about Operation Che-whatever, because it’s all these assholes are purposefully not talking about.”  
Her smile faltered. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”  
I had to admit. She was a good liar. But I was a Slytherin, and could see straight through her. I turned to my last hope in the compartment-the one person who hadn’t said anything.  
“Aradia,” I said. She looked at me. Her eyes were dull. I wondered what was going after her. “Would you happen to know what’s goin on in the compartment?”  
Her smile was like ice, but it wasn’t intended to be cruel. “Some of it. They are probably hiding something from me though. I don’t really care.”  
“Why would they be hidin anythin from you?”  
“Yes, I would like to know the same,” Equius added in.  
“Equius,” Nepeta hissed under her breath. She clearly wasn’t aware that we could hear her. “You’re ruining everything!”  
Sollux looked out the window, acutely uncomfortable. Equius glared at him, but didn’t say anything more. Feferi kept glancing at Terezi, and then looking away. Nepeta kept an eye on Equius, but kept looking at Aradia. Aradia just looked down at the floor. I sighed heavily, switching my gaze to the ceiling.  
The snack lady made it to our compartment. “Do any of you-” she began.  
“No!” Came the reply, in never-to-be-repeated unison. The snack lady hastily made her retreat.  
After what seemed like centuries, we made it to Hogwarts alive. I absconded out of that compartment as fast as I could, glad that I had already changed into my robes.  
I climbed into a carriage with Gamzee and Karkat, shooting one last glance over my shoulder. I’d been excited for Hogwarts, but that train ride was not a good omen for what was to come.

Karkat:  
I got on the train with Gamzee and started looking for Kanaya. We started hanging out a lot last year after what happened with Vriska and Rose, which she wouldn’t tell me about. But she asked me to sit with her anyways. I found her in a compartment with Terezi, Rose, and Vriska. The awkward was tangible. She looked at me with pleading eyes, and I knew that it would be my job to diffuse all the fucking tension. I sat down, and Gamzee decided to sit somewhere else. Great, I couldn’t use him as a diversion if I wanted. We sat in silence as city turned to country and we sped past rolling green hills and cows.  
“So.” said Terezi. Silence.  
“So.” I said. Kanaya attempted to break the ice.  
“How were your summers?” she said. There was a pause, then Rose spoke up.  
“Mine was fine. I went to Diagon Alley but I didn’t see you.” Kanaya blushed.  
“You know how mine was,” said Vriska. She giggled. “Remember the-”  
“And then there was-” Kanaya said, and then they both laughed. Rose’s face was a mask. Her eyes glassed over. I inhaled sharply. Kanaya stopped laughing.  
“My summer was uneventful,” said Terezi after a moment. Vriska rolled her eyes and stared out the window. Kanaya clasped together her fingers.  
“I think that the Sweet Cart is coming soon.” she said. I nodded.  
“I’ve been craving Droobles all summer.” said Vriska. “But Kanaya hates Droobles. She doesn’t like the bubbles.”  
“I don’t hate anything.” said Kanaya, blushing. I ended up getting some chocolate frogs and a Pumpkin Pasty, Vriska got three packages of Droobles, Kanaya got a licorice wand and some cauldron cakes, Terezi got seven red licorice wands, and Rose ended up with a glass of Pumpkin Juice. As we ate, the conversation grew a little more natural. We talked about the summer homework,  
“I did it almost right away,” said Kanaya. “I wanted to make sure it got done.”  
“I had trouble with the part about Wendelin the Weird.” I said. “How many times did she let herself get caught? Was it 46 or 47 times she got caught?” I said. Rose sipped her juice thoughtfully, and she left a black lipstick stain where she put her lips to the cup.  
“According to Bathilda Bagshot, it’s 47, but there’s some speculation if it’s 48.”  
“She’s one of my favorites.” said Kanaya. “One time, my mum and I were baking, and I burned my hand really badly on the side of the stove. I wish I had the Flame Freezing Charm, then.” she said. Vriska giggled.  
“It’s like that one time-” she began, and Kanaya laughed.  
“That was absolutely ridiculous!” she said, chuckling. “I can’t believe you did-”  
“But his face-” said Vriska, and they both were laughing too hard to finish their sentences.  
“What’s the joke?” said Rose coldly. I sucked in ny breath. Kanaya stopped laughing, the smile frozen on her face.  
“Oh, well, you had to be there.” she said. Rose’s smile was forced. Vriska giggled.  
“Oh, yeah. It was with the fruit-”  
“And his toupee-” Kanaya said, and they both started giggling again. I cleared my throat.  
“Oh, yeah.” said Vriska. “Other people.” she and Kanaya shared a grin, and then Rose coughed.  
“Anyways, back to Wen-” she began, but Vriska interrupted.  
“Lalonde, we’re not in school yet, so I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t lecture us.”  
Silence. Rose flushed red.  
“Fine.” she said. “Just know that-”  
“Eyyy, mothafuckers!” said Gamzee, sliding the compartment door open. Terezi groaned.  
“Is it Gamzee?” she asked.  
“Yeah.” I said.  
“I thought the smell of Faygo and ignorance was getting stronger.” she said, crossing her arms. Gamzee grinned like a puppy.  
“Yeah, man. Mother. Fucking. Miracles.”  
“No,” said Terezi, scolding. “That should bother you. I insulted you.”  
“Faygo’s a fucking miracle,” said Gamzee. Terezi groaned loudly.  
“Anything from the trolley?” asked the woman outside our compartment.  
“No.” I said. She left.  
“I’m leaving.” Terezi said, and stood up to leave. I watched her go, and some of the tension left with her, but Rose and Vriska were still glaring at each other. Gamzee stared at the ceiling. I stared at Kanaya. Kanaya stared at Vriska. I tried again to break the silence.  
“So... what do you guys think abou-”  
“Shut up Karkat.” said Vriska, gritting her teeth. I raised my eyebrows. Gamzee glared.  
“I wish you wouldn’t all up and be talking like that about my best motherfucking friend.” he said. I shooshed him.  
“Rose, you were going to talk about Wendelin the-”  
“Karkat, perhaps it’s best if you find-”  
The door slid open briskly and Eridan Fucking Ampora stood there, looking like a regal hipster douche. We all looked at him. He faltered and mumbled something, and then left, his cape swishing behind him as he left. I turned back to Kanaya. Her eyes were panicked.  
“Maybe a game of exploding-” she said, but Rose interrupted.  
“No, I think I was about to talk about Wendelin the Weird.” she said.  
“Anything from the-” said the woman, standing outside the compartment.  
“I think you weren’t.” said Vriska.  
“I think I was.” said Rose, standing.  
‘Anything from-”  
“I think you should shut up.” said Vriska, also standing.  
“I think you should-”  
“Anything from the tr-”  
“Please!” shrieked Kanaya, her face flushed bright red and her eyes on Vriska and Rose. The trolley woman bid a hasty retreat. “I want to play a game of exploding snap.” she said loudly. Vriska and Rose sat back down and we played exploding snap until the sun began to set and we went to change into our Hogwarts robes. Kanaya and I exchanged a look as we got into the carriages to ride up to the castle. I was just glad it was over.

Aradia  
There was a lot of shouting on the train, but I tuned it out. I was unsure of my friends-if they really were my friends. It felt like I’d told Terezi my problems, and Sollux had found out, and they’d decided I wasn’t really worth anything. I didn’t really care though. I’d tried to care, back last year, for their sakes, but now I was just so alone.  
My father was barely home over the summer, and none of my friends wrote to me. I had one constant in my life, and it was the reason for the marks up and down my arm.  
As I sat, silent, watching others around me at the feast, I dug my nails into one of the deeper marks and let the pain take over.  
I looked up, and saw Sollux watching me from the Ravenclaw table, his eyes full of...something. The moment I met his eyes though, he looked away. My eyes fell on Equius, who had been nice to me on the train. I didn’t know why, and I didn’t really care enough to find out.  
I looked down at my arms, and frowned a little as blood welled up. I had to be more careful.  
Not that it really mattered. Anyone who I had once cared about seemed to already know, because they were avoiding me at all times. I told myself I just had to get through this year. And then the next, and the next, and the next, and somehow manage to care enough to get through life.  
The next day, classes started. As I was a third year now, I could go to Hogsmeade. I also had more classes. I was taking Ancient Runes and Divination. I walked into the Ancient Runes classroom to find Sollux already there. I stopped short, but resolutely ignored him, walking over to sit next to Jade. I wondered what he wanted.  
I wondered if he even cared, but I already knew that the answer was no.  
Classes were ok. Most things were, really. A week went by, and I was left mostly alone, and as long as I could manage to hurt myself, I didn’t really care. Sollux kept watching me. Feferi kept ignoring me, though she talked to me in Sollux’s presence. She was probably trying to impress him, but associating with me wouldn’t do that. He probably already liked her anyways.  
I didn’t like to think about that, though, so I just pushed on through life alone and wondered where everything had gone wrong.  
I went to Hogsmeade the first weekend it was available, and immediately regretted it. Everything was loud, and I was so alone. I made my way up to the shrieking shack, and stood in the wind. Almost unconsciously, I dug my nails into a fresh wound, and let the crimson drip into the ground.  
“Aradia,” a voice said quietly behind me. I started, pulling my arm behind my back and turning to face Tavros.  
“Tavros.”  
We exchanged greetings, and then he said, “I just wanted to ask-are you okay?”  
I considered him. He obviously didn’t know what had happened, because if he did, he’d be running away like everyone else.  
“Okay?” I asked. Was I really? ““Yeah. I just- I haven’t seen you in a while.” I looked at him. He looked at me.  
“I know. I wanted to see my old Flarping partner. I... missed you.”  
I looked at him, wondering. Maybe if I didn’t tell him anything...I could at least have company. I was fine alone, but Tavros was nice enough. It could stop people from judging me so much.  
“Yeah, I missed you too,” I finally got out. I sounded sincere enough. I congratulated myself for almost giving a fuck. He came and stood next to me, and we stood in silence, before he told me he would go get butterbeers and bring them up for us. I smiled, or at least tried to. It was strange. There was a small amount of warmth in my heart, and I didn’t know why. But then he noticed the blood, and I spouted out a lie, and I realized how alone I still was. But secrets make us who we are.  
We drank butter beers by the Shrieking Shack, and I talked to Tavros, but there was still something...wrong. I didn’t know what. I didn’t need anything, and having close friends never worked out.  
That night, I lay awake, wondering, and when I slept, I dreamt of crimson blood.  
There was a lot of stuff about SBURB in the newspapers over the next few weeks. Some minor raids, and a lot of propaganda. I didn’t think about it, not about Slick’s escape after he killed mum, and not about all the stuff going on now. But I heard about in the hallways. People tend not to notice you when you walk through the halls alone.  
Time passed, and I spoke to next to no one. Tavros talked to me, and Jade, and Equius and Nepeta kept approaching me, but I didn’t want to talk, and no one really wanted to talk to me. I got reasonable grades on my schoolwork.  
The next Hogsmeade visit pulled around two weeks later, and to my surprise, Tavros asked Jade out and she said yes. He was very happy. I stayed behind while he went to Hogsmeade, and I worked on my homework for the Condesce in the library. Until I was found.  
“Hey Aradia!” Nepeta said happily.  
“Hello.”  
“Sooooo...you purrobably know that I like relationships,” she began.  
“I suppose.”  
“And I was just wondering if there was anyone you like?” she said, very fast. I looked at her.  
“Not really.” I said. She looked at me, clearly expecting more.  
“What about a certain Hufflepuff boy?”  
“Sorry?” I said, at a loss. She huffed, and cocked her head at me.  
“Are you suuure.”  
“Yes…”  
“Okay!” she left the library just as quickly, and I stayed behind in confusion.  
Hogsmeade ended, and Tavros came back aglow. I smiled at him, and went to sleep that night leaving the knife aside.  
The next morning, like usual, I didn’t touch the paper. I didn’t care anymore. Sollux approached me half way through breakfast, and I tensed, unsure. He hadn’t directly spoken to me in a very long time. “Are you okay?” he asked. Funny. It seemed like that was a common question.  
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”  
I shouldn’t have answered with a question. That just invites more conversation.  
“Because...the paper…”  
I looked at him with confusion, and he just shook his head and left. The day went on.  
I was walking with Jade back to Gryffindor after dinner when an owl came flying through the window, dropping a letter at my feet. I picked it up, opening the official looking seal.  
Dear Ms. Megido,  
We regret to inform you about the unfortunate death of your guardian. Please go talk to Doc Scratch immediately, as you are not yet eighteen-  
The letter went on. I dropped it with trembling fingers, unable to read anymore, but unable to comprehend yet. I saw Jade watching me, not knowing anything, and I couldn’t think about this-wouldn’t let myself think about it-with her there. I excused myself to the bathroom.  
The words ran through my mind again and again. unfortunate death. Unfortunate death. Unfortunate Death. It was a soundtrack in my mind, and the words set in, and my father, who was the only one who could understand anything because he was the only one who had cared, was dead, and I was so, so alone.  
And it was all my fault, because I’d gone to Hogwarts, and I’d exposed them to the magical world, and I had no doubt that my father’s death had been because of SBURB as well, and I had just been far too selfish to think about the negative effects and I just couldn’t do it anymore.  
I closed my eyes, but I didn’t see my mum’s face dancing behind it like I did every other time. She was gone, and everything was gone, and Sollux and Terezi and everyone else might as well be gone too.  
I always kept the knife in the bottom of my bag. It was older now, and not as sharp, but I knew it better than I knew myself, and right now, I needed the pain, and I just needed everything to stop.  
Crimson blossomed at my wrist, and I pushed deeper and deeper, before pulling the knife out with a gasp. I could barely hold the knife with my other hand now, but I needed the symmetry. Like the symmetry of the death of both of my parents.  
Two cuts, and blood everywhere. It was dripping on the floor, and all I could think of was not staining anything. Not the floor, but not my robes either, so I pulled them off with trembling fingers and I turned on the shower. The water was cold. My face was already wet-from tears maybe? I didn’t remember.  
But the water just mixed with the red, and it swirled on the floor. My head was spinning. I gazed at the water dully, dimly aware of the door behind me opening. Someone was shaking me, and a familiar face appeared in front of my eyes. Sollux.  
Something clattered to the floor. The knife. I ignored it, wondering why Sollux was here. Was I already dead?  
But everything hurt, and I didn’t think that was what happened after you died. I just hoped Sollux went away, because he wouldn’t want to watch me die. But he wasn’t leaving, and I focused on his face. I wouldn’t mind if that was the last thing I saw.  
He was saying something, probably babbling, but I couldn’t hear because of the ringing in my ears. I squinted, trying to listen. “and it was Terezi’s idea and then I’m sorry that this morning I didn’t say anything more and don’t close your eyes why are you closing your eyes-”  
The ringing was getting louder, and the pain already felt like a distant memory. “-shit, don’t you dare die on me Aradia Megido, there’s still so much left to do, come on, you’ll be alright-”  
I let my eyes open again, and his face was blurry. I thought of all the times he’d ignored me last year, and maybe it hadn’t hurt then, but it really hurt now. It was worse than anything I could do to myself, and I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. I had to know though. Why he was here. “Why do you care?”  
“Why do I care? What the fuck happened to make you think that because everyone cares and we’ve all been so worried about you and you can’t let them down. But please don’t ever think I don’t care because I do and I can’t-I can’t do this-”  
“Don’t go,” I said, and I could barely see him anymore.  
“Why would I go, why would you think that? Why would you think any of this and I don’t know what I’ve done wrong-shit, yes I do-but for god’s sake Aradia I love-”  
Everything went black.  
Tick  
tock.  
Tick  
tock.  
Tick  
tock.  
I didn’t know where I was when I woke up, but as the ceiling came into focus I heard ticking. It was soft, and even, but it was there. I furrowed my brow at the white tiles, recognizing the hospital wing. Why was I there?  
I tried to sit up, but my head spun and I sunk back down. The blanket was dislodged with the movement, and I tensed as I saw the bandages on my arms.  
What had happened?  
There was movement from next to me, and I looked over to see Sollux reading something. I froze. What was he doing here?  
Clearly, he hadn’t noticed that I was awake yet, and I intended to keep it that way. I stared idly at the ceiling and wondered, but Madame Mendicant seemed to have a sixth sense, and she was over in a minute. Sollux dropped his book and turned to face me. His face was set. What was going on?  
“You gave us all a big scare, young lady,” Madame Mendicant scolded. “Jade was beside herself when she came running to me.”  
Everything I had heard and seen made no sense. What was Sollux doing here? What had happened? How was Jade involved? I stared at the nurse blankly. She sighed, and her mood changed. She tucked the blanket around me.   
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know you must be broken up about your father’s death, but that is no cause-”  
Wait. What? “Father’s death?” I interrupted. She stared at me.  
“Yes…Jade told me you got the letter.”  
Letter...suddenly something flashed through my mind. Parchment and blood and everything is sad sad sad.  
I closed my eyes. I was alone, and I couldn’t think. I didn’t know what to think, and I still didn’t remember. When I opened them, the nurse was looking at me sadly.  
“Are you alright, dear?” she asked. I looked down.  
“Yeah...just remembering.”  
“Well, I’ll leave you two here. You’ve been out all night. Sollux here refused to leave.” She bustled away. I looked at Sollux, and for the first time in so, so long, he met my gaze.  
Crimson everywhere and it hurts and Sollux is there and just let me die.  
I blinked. “Why?” he asked, and his voice cracked a little. He cleared his throat.  
“What are you talking about?”  
“...What?”  
“I don’t...how did I get here?” I stumbled over my words, and I wondered when Sollux was going to leave me alone like before, and I wondered where my knife was, and I wondered if I could still feel pain through a bandage.  
Sollux stared at me, his face incredulous and a mix of emotions. Fear and anger warred, but there were other things beneath it. Pity, and what seemed like hope, and just a little bit of...disappointment? “You don’t remember?” he asked finally. I shook my head, wincing as it throbbed a little.  
My heartbeat is loud but its growing quieter and I don’t want to hear it anymore.  
“You tried to kill yourself,” he said, voice abrupt. “I don’t...I don’t know what would have happened if Jade hadn’t been there-” he stopped, looking away.  
His eyes are bright and there are tears and please don’t leave me here to die alone.  
I looked down, unsure of words, and even more unsure of the memories flashing through my brain. “Why did you save me?” I asked finally, words idle. His head snapped back up.  
“Why would you save me? Why would you care?”  
“Why wouldn’t I care?” he asked, and then his face dawned in comprehension. “You really think that-it wasn’t-shit,” he trailed off.  
“It was Terezi’s idea and then I am sorry” and he’s shaking me and my ears are ringing and I want to let go but I don’t want him to see me die.  
I frowned. That was the most coherent thing I had remembered so far, and my mouth moved before I realized it, “What was Terezi’s idea?”  
Something flashed across his face. “How do you remember that?” His eyes looked almost accusing.  
“It’s...coming back.”  
“It was just a plan,” he said quietly. “And...Terezi, after you told her, she thought-” he faltered. I watched him silently. “She thought that if we ignored you, you would break. That you would feel something.”  
I stared, not comprehending. Something built in the back of my mind, and I placed it from things I remembered from long ago. Anger. It wasn’t manifested yet, and I kept calm.  
Why would he do such a thing? How could anyone think that was a good idea? “I thought you hated me,” I said softly.  
“How could anyone hate you? Fuck, I carried you here myself, covered in blood, I stayed with you, Jesus Aradia I- we all love you!” he burst out.  
“What else was I supposed to think? I thought you hated me, and I didn’t have anyone to turn to! I couldn’t-I couldn’t do it,” I said, my voice rising, but breaking off at the end. Madame Mendicant came back out.  
“Keep your voices down!” she hissed, and then went back into her office, peeping back out a moment later. “And Sollux, dear, you’ve been awake for over twenty four hours. Go to sleep.”  
He glanced at me. “But-”  
“No! Sleep! Now.”  
Mendicant could be really intimidating when she wanted to be, and Sollux rolled over on the bed next to me. I stared at his back, and thought of every time someone had brushed me off. Every time I’d been ignored. That was all a lie?  
On top of that, I still didn’t know what exactly had happened to me. As I watched Sollux’s breathing even out, I saw all the puzzle pieces and tried to make pictures out of nothing.  
The blood will stain everything and Kanaya will get angry and I have to get it off.  
An hour later, I noticed the books next to the bed. Jade must have left them. I picked up the first one, and recognized it as one she’d gotten me for Christmas. I hesitated before opening it.  
I have to get away from Jade because I don’t know what to think and I don’t know what to do and she won’t even care.  
I snapped out of it with a gasp, and then Terezi burst into the room, looking as though she’d been running.  
“Aradia!” she cried, but her voice lacked her usual fervor. “Are you alright?”  
I looked at her silently. “I’m fine,” I said, voice cold.  
“It’s all my fault,” she said. I didn’t bother to correct her. “Operation Cherry Cough Syrup was even more of a failure than the last one,” she added, voice heavy. I still didn’t say anything, and she slumped a little. “I guess...you probably don’t want me here.”  
She turned and left, and I went back to my book, furiously reading the pages but not remembering any of the words.  
Kanaya and Jade came in an hour later. Jade cried, and I tried to smile, but the entire thing was awkward. She left pretty soon, but Kanaya sat with me and didn’t say anything. We sat in relative peace for awhile, and then she had to go.  
Sollux slept through the entire thing, and continued sleeping for the rest of the day. I kept reading, but I couldn’t tell you what had happened in the book if I’d been held at knife point.  
I thought about my father, and I thought about Terezi, and I thought about Sollux, and then I thought that if someone held at knife point I wouldn’t really care.  
I know the knife so well and I can trust like I can’t trust anyone else and I need to see my parents again.  
Later in the afternoon, once classes were over, Tavros came into the hospital. I didn’t look up-I didn’t want to know what he thought of me. “Hi,” he said, his voice resolute. I shut my eyes briefly.  
“Tavros,” I acknowledged. He told me that he cared about me, and that he wanted me to stop, but I barely heard the words.  
The pain feels better than anything else but its fading and everything is fading.  
Tavros didn’t leave. He just wheeled over to one side of my bed, and sat there while more people came in. Terezi-who apologized, and begged for forgiveness. I gave it to her, but I didn’t trust her. I couldn’t trust her, or Feferi, or Sollux.  
“What the fuck happened to make you think that, because everyone cares,” and his voice is panicked and I don’t understand.  
Sollux woke up somewhere around the time Nepeta came to visit. I smiled and nodded my way through the conversation, and did the same for Feferi and Rose and Kanaya, but all of it was false and I was just a puppet without the strings.  
Finally, everyone left, and it was just Sollux and I. I couldn’t look at him.  
“Hi, I guess,” he said.  
“Hi.”

"AA, you really scared me."  
"I'm sorry,” I replied, but the words were dull and I wanted to be left alone. To die. Sollux hesitated.  
"Look, I said something while we were there. In the bathroom. Do you remember?"  
"No. What did you say?"  
"Doesn't matter,” he told me, the words heavy with a meaning I could find. “You should sleep.  
"So should you,” I replied, done with conversation. He sighed, but Madame Mendicant shot us both a glare, and pointedly turned out the lights. Somehow Sollux had convinced her to let him stay. I wanted him gone, because I still didn’t remember everything, and I couldn’t trust him, and my dad was dead and I was so, so alone. Somehow though, I managed to drift off to sleep.  
There are ghosts all around me. I drift through the empty spaces and everything is gone and I see the corpses of so many of my friends-Tavros, Feferi, Kanaya, Jade, Rose, Terezi...and Sollux. I don’t where I am but I think I killed them because there’s a knife in my hand and the blood is dripping down my arms and everything hurts and suddenly I’m on the floor. The blood wells up and surrounds me and I’m drowning and I can’t breathe. Someone pulls me out-Spades Slick is there and he’s coming for me and I can see the corpses of my parents. It’s all my fault, and now I’ll join them. I open my mouth to scream.  
Slick leans forward, and his teeth are rotting and he opens his mouth and speaks. “Aradia,” he says, and I back up, away from him, and the wall is cutting into my back like it’s made of knives and I just want the pain to stop-  
“Aradia!” he says again. “Wake up!” He leans forward and slaps me in the face.  
Suddenly, I was awake, and I realized it was all just a dream. I was out of breath and crying, and I thought I was probably screaming-it’s a wonder that Madam Mendicant didn’t come out.  
Sollux was sitting on the edge of my bed, looking worried. I stared at him for a moment, and he stared at me, and then I finally figured it out.  
My dad is dead. He was killed by SBURB-  
I’m too selfish and everything is my fault and I wished I’d never gone to Hogwarts.  
-And my mum is dead too, and I practically killed them and I am completely and utterly alone.  
I let go, and I was crying and I could barely breath, and someone-probably Sollux-pulled me into a hug, and I knew I was going to regret this in the morning because I still couldn’t trust him, couldn’t trust anyone, but I could barely think just then. I cried into Sollux’s arms, and his shirt was wet-  
There is water everywhere and it mixes with the blood and I just want it all to go away.  
-and I don’t know where I’m going when the school year ends, and it’s all my fault. Sollux is saying something, and I catch, “Fucking hell, AA,” but it doesn’t sound angry, it just sounds worried, and suddenly, I’m screaming at him too.  
“Why?” I get out. “Why did you save me? Why didn’t you just let me die? I wanted to die and now I’m alive and I can’t-”I can’t finish my sentence, and then Sollux’s arms tightened around me and he’s speaking as well.  
“Because there are other people who matter, AA! There are other people who care and who will help you, and I-we-don’t want to watch you die.”  
I looked at him, and it felt like everything I couldn’t feel was rushing through my body and it hurt. “I can’t do it,” I whispered.  
“Then let someone help you, because we’ve all fucked up, but we want to fix it. No one’s done worse than me, and if you’d died,” he pauses then, the word strangled. “If you died, I would have felt like I’d killed you myself.”  
“We’ve all been so worried about you” and I don’t know why he’s saying that and I just want the lies to stop.  
“I don’t know what to do,” I said plaintively, and he pulled me tighter.  
“We’ll figure it out together.”  
The words were a promise, but there was something...more to them. I didn’t read into it though, because I was slowly fading, and I fell back asleep in his arms.  
I dreamed again, and the faces of my parents and of Sollux and Terezi and all my friends danced behind my eyes and kept me safe.  
They kept me in the hospital for two more weeks, allowed out only for classes, and I wasn’t allowed to be alone at all. Madame Mendicant set me on antidepressants, and watched me like a hawk when I took them. Many people-my friends?- kept visiting, and it was almost alien because someone was always talking to me. Sollux slept in the hospital wing for three more days before Madame Mendicant kept him out. We didn’t talk about my dream, or about the conversation that had passed that night.  
Damara came to visit a lot too. Both of her parents had died long ago, and she’d grown up in foster care. In first year.. I remembered being excited that we were related. I had a long lost cousin, how wonderful was that? Now I could barely look at her eyes, so pale they almost seemed white. Is that what would look like, given some time? Would my outside begin to reflect the inside? She held me tight, and we cried together, and despite all the sadness, I felt better than I had in a long time. Something inside me felt fixed, and I could smile again without it seeming fake.  
Sometimes I couldn’t decide if that was good or not, because I still just wanted it to go away, and I couldn’t even let my pain go by hurting myself anymore.  
One day, a little while before I was to be let out of the hospital, Doc Scratch called me up to the office. I still couldn’t be alone, and Sollux walked me up there. I was more comfortable around him again, but I still couldn’t trust him-couldn’t trust anyone.  
I walked in slowly to find Feferi there, as well as her older sister Meenah, and an unfamiliar woman. Feferi grinned at me. I couldn’t trust either, but I felt that she at least understood some of what I was going through, so I smiled back.  
“Ah, Aradia,” Doc Scratch said. “How wonderful to see you here.”  
“Why am I here?” I inquired.  
“Because-” Feferi began, but the strange woman, who looked kind of familiar, held up an admonishing finger. Feferi rolled her eyes, but fell silent.  
“Please, sit down,” Doc Scratch offered, and with a wave of his wand, an empty chair appeared next to Feferi. I sat down slowly, still looking around me. Meenah gave me an intimidating grin that was probably supposed to be nice but didn’t really come off that way.  
“As your parents are now deceased,” Scratch began. I couldn’t help it: I flinched. Feferi took my hand under the table, and I couldn’t bring myself to pull it away. “You need a new home,” Scratch continued. “You are not of legal age, and your only family member is sixteen. Her guardians, most unfortunately, cannot take you on.” He paused. Before he could continue, the older woman interrupted.  
“If I could take it from here?” she said. Her voice seemed familiar.  
“Of course.”  
“Aradia,” the woman said, turning towards me with a generous smile. I scratched at the back of my mind, trying to remember her face. She had long silvery hair, but her face was young. She was strongly built, with swimmer's shoulders and a contoured face. Where did I know her from? “My daughter Feferi has nothing but good things to say about you, and upon hearing about your situation, she immediately wrote to me, begging me to help.”  
I finally identified the woman as the Minister of Magic. She continued, “So I talked to my oldest, Meenah, and we decided it would be our pleasure if you would stay with us over the holidays.”  
I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying, and my brain had barely began to process it when the Minister continued. “In all regards, I would be your legal guardian. I know I could never hope to replace your loss, but I would like to try.” She sounded very businesslike, but at the same time, her tone was sympathetic.   
I looked at Feferi, whose eyes were hopeful, and then at Doc Scratch. He said, “If you do not accept this offer, you will be sent to an orphanage.”  
“Um...okay,” I said weakly, still kind of processing. “Yeah.”  
Feferi squealed, and bounced in her seat.  
“Most excellent, Ms. Megido,” Doc Scratch finished. “That will be all now. I believe the Minister has urgent business this afternoon, so you will not be able to acquaint yourselves until later.”  
“I’m afraid so,” Ms. Peixes said with a frown. “I look forward to getting to know you,” she said to me, and then she flung herself into the floo network and was gone before I could understand what had just occurred.  
Meenah squeezed my shoulder, and then looked at her sister. “Prawn it down,” she said. I managed to translate that to calm, and realized that I better get used to the fish puns. Meenah turned to me. “Sea you around sister,” she said, and walked away with a lazy hand wave at Doc Scratch.  
The Headmaster dismissed Feferi and I. Sollux was still waiting outside, and his brow furrowed when he saw Feferi there as well. She didn’t bother to explain anything to him before she squealed, pulling me into a hug that I awkwardly returned.  
“This is brilliant!” she said. “We are going to have sooo much fun this summer!”  
“Yeah,” I offered in reply, still kind of dazed. My whole life had just been flipped upside down. I had no idea where the future was going to lead, but it looked much brighter than it had for so very long.

Tavros  
The feast was great! I talked to Nepeta and Equius, which was all well and good, but Jade kept talking to my across the aisle. Gosh, she was pretty. She had gotten tan over the summer, and her long brownish blackish hair was even longer. Her green eyes shone as the food appeared on the table. But I was worried about Aradia. She had been my partner, and despite our failure, and my paralyzation, and her coma, and everything that happened since, Flarping was for life. I planned to talk to her. Meanwhile, Gamzee made winky faces at me from the Slytherin table. I... wasn’t sure how I felt about that.  
After dessert was cleared away, Doc Scratch quieted the hall and began a speech. I zoned out. His style of speaking was condescending and self indulgent. I stared at Aradia, but she was looking at her arms. I looked at Gamzee, and his head was down on his plate. I looked at Jade, and she talking to Rose. I looked at Vriska, and she was putting green beans into Gamzee's fro. I had to admit, that was kind of funny, for a Vriska prank.  
As I followed Nepeta and the other Hufflepuffs to the basement, I notice Jade’s robes swish up the stairs.  
Classes started. I was generally bored, and I often zoned out. A weeks slipped by, and that Friday afternoon a message was put up. The first visit to Hogsmeade was to be in a weekend. I decided that it would be then I would talk to Aradia.  
The next week passes. I savored the classes I had with Jade. She was so sweet and caring.  
Hogsmeade rolled around and I set out to find Aradia. After looking around in the village, I wheeled up the path to the Shrieking Shack. She leaned on the fence, a scarf pulled over her mouth against the September bite.  
“A- Aradia?” I said timidly. She started.  
“Tavros?” she said. She folded her arms behind her back as if she was hiding something.  
“Hi.” I said. “What’s up?” she looked down.  
“Nothing.” she said.  
“Well, I just wanted to ask, well... are you okay?” I said, bouncing on the balls of my feet.  
“Okay?” she asked. Her face changed a little. “Yeah. I just- I haven’t seen you in a while.”  
“I know. I wanted to see my old Flarping partner. I... missed you.” I said. She struggled a moment.  
“Yeah, I missed you too.” her voice was strange. She finally motioned me to stand with her. I walked over and stood next to her. She had her hands in her pockets. We stood silently for a moment. Then I spoke again.  
“You wanna have a butterbeer?” I asked. She looked surprised.  
“Really?” she asked. “Yeah, it’s just so loud down there.” I nodded.  
“I’ll get bottles and bring them up.” I said. She smiled a bit. I noticed blood on her hands. She stuffed her hands in her pockets again.  
“I tripped on my way up here.” she muttered. I nodded. I went back down to the Three Broomsticks and noticed Jade with John Egbert. Were they a thing? I hoped they weren’t a thing.  
I brought the butterbeer to Aradia and we drank in silence until it started to rain and we went back up to the castle. It may not have been much, but it was everything to me. Even if we weren’t friends, well, it was nice to know she’d always be there.  
A few weeks passed, and my crush on Jade grew bigger. I watched her wherever she went and every time Strider was around a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach threatened to make me puke.  
Suddenly the next Hogsmeade visit was right around the corner, and I worked up enough confidence to ask Jade to go with my. Like a date. I rolled into the Great Hall the week before with a confident air about me. She sat at Gryffindor. I was just in time to hear Dave say,  
“So Jade, will you-” I cut in.  
“Hey, Jade!” I said. She grinned.  
“Hey, Tavros!”  
“So, Hogsmeade is coming up, and, well, it’s way more fun to go with someone, and well, I was wondering if you’d go with me like a date.” I said that all very fast, but she understood. She looked at Dave, and then back at me. Dave looked at me.  
“Yes, Tavros. I’d love to be your girlfriend.” she said.  
“Wait-” I said, but Jade interrupted.  
“See you at Hogsmeade.” she said, and left. I was quite uncomfortable sitting there with just Dave and his indignant face unmoving and solid. I left him in the dust, taking a piece of toast from his plate as I went.  
I went to Hogsmeade and met Jade in the Tea Shoppe. She sat at a table in the back corner. She had her hair braided back and she was wearing a muggle dress. It was short and blue, but she had leggings underneath. She also had a red jacket on top. I wheeled over to her and grinned.  
"Hey!" I said, taking off my jacket. She smiled.  
"Hi Tavros!" she said. We ordered tea, and sat and talked for a little while. She was complaining about Dave, but she was also talking about Rose.  
"She's kinda gothy and weird, but she's really nice!" said Jade. I smiled.  
"I have friends like that. Gamzee-" our tea came, and there was silence for a moment while we sipped and ate little sandwiches.  
Afterward, we went back up to the castle. As I rolled with some difficulty, she spoke.,  
"Have- have you ever thought of going to Madame Pomfrey about your legs?" she said timidly. I thought for a moment.  
"Yeah. But... being paralyzed is a part of who I am now. I wouldn't want to change." I lied. The truth is, I hadn't even thought of it. God, I was dumb sometimes.  
"Wow, Tavros. That's really deep." she said. I smiled to myself.  
I found Aradia in the library after I said goodbye to Jade. She looked up from her book.  
"Hey, Aradia! I said.  
"How was your date with Jade?" she asked. I grinned.  
"Perfect." I said. She smiled widely.  
A few days later, I heard from Jade about Aradia's problem. As soon as I could, I visited her in the hospital. She was the only one in there, besides Sollux sleeping in the bed next to her. She was reading a book about Archeology. Her face was gaunt and her eyes sagged. Her fingers trembled to turn the pages. I wheeled in slowly and stopped at the foot of her bed.  
"Hi." I said. She looked up.  
"Tavros." she said. I didn't smile.  
"Aradia. I'm being serious right now." I said. She closed her book.  
"Okay."  
"I care about you."  
"Okay."  
"You're my friend, and I care." I said. She nodded.  
Terezi, Feferi, Rose, Kanaya, and a bunch of other people came to visit. Terezi was very solemn. She looked Aradia in the eye and sincerely said,  
"Aradia, I am impossibly sorry about what I did to you. Operation Cherry Cough Syrup had been obliterated. The Operation itself was not meant for this purpose. The law recognized when it's wrong. And I was wrong. I'm sorry." she said this all in a manner that seemed unrehearsed and I applauded her.  
Nepeta and Equius dropped by. Equius gave her some Violets. Nepeta made a beginner's shipping chart template.  
"Shipping is a lonely business." said Nepeta. "But it doesn't have to be if you make it so. That goes fur life as well."  
Rose and Kanaya came together. Rose made Aradia a scarf, and Kanaya made her a dress. Rose apologized, and Kanaya did too, but the words seemed to mean nothing to her.  
Feferi came by with armfuls of treats. She had 6 kinds of butterbeer, a huge back full of Honeydukes Sweets, a ton of Cinnamon Rolls and Strudels from the kitchens and she made Aradia a seashell necklace. Aradia put it on and ate a cinnamon roll and a chocolate frog. Her card was Feferi's mom. They smiled about that.  
As I left I heard Sollux talking to Aradia. I knew it was impolite to eavesdrop, but...  
"AA, you really scared me."  
"I'm sorry."  
"Look, I said something while we were there. In the bathroom. Do you remember?"  
"No." she said. "What did you say?"  
"Doesn't matter." he said shortly. "You should sleep."  
"So should you." she retorted. I heard a sigh.  
"No." he said, and the light went out.  
I wheeled away silently and made my way down a ramp to the Hufflepuff basement.  
Hogsmeade was coming up again, and I planned on asking Jade. I rolled up to her one day after class. She turned as I cleared my throat.  
"Hey!" I said.  
"Hey."  
"So, Hogsmeade is-"  
"I know." a pause.  
"So, see you there?"  
"Yeah." she said. I smiled and rolled away.  
But it wasn't right. It wasn't right when I wheeled into the Tea Shoppe, it wasn't right when we went to the Shrieking Shack, it wasn't right when we were talking close. It wasn't right when she leaned forward and kissed me. She pulled back almost immediately, and my face froze. It was wrong, all wrong. I tried not to gag.  
"What's wrong?" I asked. She stared at me.  
"Kissing you feels like... kissing my grandpa." she said. I nodded.  
"I get it." She stood up and helped me back into my chair.  
"Jade, I'm breaking up with you." I said. She smiled a little.  
"No offense, but thank Gog." she replied. I grinned.  
And we descended the hill and parted ways friends.

Equius  
After Aradia got out of the Hospital, things were business as usual. Nepeta and I walked the halls, and when we passed her my heart stopped and I felt my stomach drop into my gut.  
I was horrified when I found out what happened to her. Nepeta and I were Feelings Jamming almost all day. She was worried about me, but she promised to make Aradia feel differently about me. Meanwhile, it was nearly time for her to finish her Transformation. She was constantly excited, but wouldn't tell me why. I was awaiting her reveal any day.  
Aradia went back to classes. She seemed sullen, and avoided most of our classmates. I watched her. I gathered courage to ask her out. I talked to Nepeta about her a lot. But only Nepeta was able to talk to her.  
Weeks passed, and Nepeta approached me in the common room one October evening. Her face was aglow with happiness and my heart lifted.  
"Equius!" she said. I calmed my tone.  
"What is it?" I said.  
"I have a surprise!" she said. I closed my book. "Here it is."  
She squinted her eyes together and...  
A cat stood where Nepeta had been. I grinned.  
She was a black cat with pointy teeth, and a long tail. Only Nepeta's curious green eyes remained, along with her playful attitude. She morphed back.  
"So..." she said expectantly. I smiled.  
"That's great, Nepeta." I said.  
"In other news," she said, sitting down in the chair, "Aradia's moving in with Feferi."  
"The heiress?" I asked. Nepeta nodded. "Terezi heard it from Sollux who was there."  
"Nepeta, you shouldn't gossip." I said, patting my forehead with a towel. She rolled her eyes.  
"Shut the fuck up Equius." she said. I raised my eyebrows.   
"What the Hequius?" I asked. She smiled at my pun.  
I didn't go to Quidditch tryouts, because I was already on the team, but Nepeta did. She secured a spot on the team without even asking. I had a nice lecture planned on the dangers of Quidditch. I approached her in the Hufflepuff Common Room after I saw the notice.  
"Nepeta, did you try out for Quidditch?" I asked. She grinned.  
"Yes! I'm the new seeker!" she said.  
"You didn't ask." I said grouchily. She glared.  
"I don't have to ask you anything. You're not my parent. I thought you'd be happy for me."  
"I-" I tried to reply, but she stalked off, morphing as she went.  
Quidditch practice changed my mind about having her on the team. She was amazing. She had great eyes, and while it was dangerous, I often underestimated her.  
The first game was a week away, but there was school in the meantime. I had far bigger fish to fry than a game of Quidditch.  
Aradia was rarely alone, and when she was, someone was always there right before I could get a word in. It was almost always Sollux, but she didn't have every class with him. I planned to talk to her right after Herbology.  
After class ended, she walked from the Greenhouses quickly, holding her books to her chest. I followed her closely, and she met up with Sollux. I felt my resolve crumbling, but I decided to follow through. They seemed to be arguing, and I considered not asking, but I was close enough that it would look awkward if I just walked away.  
"Aradia." I said awkwardly. I noticed Nepeta leaving the Greenhouse talking to Tavros. I had limited time.  
"Yes?" she said impatiently. I took a deep breath.  
"Would you... accompany me to Hogsmeade next weekend?" I said.  
She looked at Sollux, who was staring at me with a strange look on his face. She turned back to me.  
"I'm okay with it." she said. I forced myself not to grin.  
"See you at the Three Broomsticks then." I said. She nodded, a shimmer of a smile on her face.  
"See you then." I walked away and made a beeline for Nepeta. She smiled.  
"You were talking to Aradia." she said. I nodded. "Did you-"  
"Yes."  
"What did you say?" she asked. I grinned. She squealed and jumped up.  
"IT'S CANON! TAKE THAT YOU KITTY BITCH!" she said. "I've gotta go gloat to Meulin." She did not make it to our next class.  
The Quidditch Match was upon us, and Nepeta and I suited up with our fellow Hufflepuffs in the locker rooms. Nepeta took deep breaths in the corner to calm herself.  
She inhaled deeply in the corner and exhaled.  
"One, two three... O, T, P..." she chanted. I stared at the floor.  
We walked out onto the field to a chorus of Slytherin boos. I noticed Vriska Serket, the seeker for the other team, glaring at Nepeta, a gleam in her eye. Nepeta growled.  
Kickoff. I soared into the air and watched Nepeta. She surveyed the field with sharp eyes. Her broom was of a horrible make, and her robes were old and tattered compared to Vriska's, but she was the first to see the snitch. 6 minutes into the game, Vriska and Nepeta were neck and neck after the snitch. I kept close, ready to maim the Slytherin seeker if she hurt my friend. Nepeta reached out... and...  
Caught the snitch. We all landed. I could hear Hufflepuff cheers from the stand. Vriska was beside herself. Nepeta was jumping all around.  
"I can't believe I got it!" Nepeta squealed, tugging at my sleeve. I smiled.  
"You're an excellent seeker." I said. She beamed.  
Later, there was a small party in the common room. We ate food from the kitchen, and the Captain of the Quidditch team paraded Nepeta around, calling her "The best Seeker in a Century." I was happy for her. It seemed everything was coming up Leijon.  
And everything was coming up Zahhak as well. I had a date with the girl of my dreams, it looked like the Hufflepuff team had some luck this year, and my best friend was still Nepeta, who meant the world to me.  
The next weekend, Ravenclaw played Slytherin and I took Aradia to the Three Broomsticks on a date. I accidently broke the tankard of butterbeer I was holding and she laughed a little. I flushed.  
Then we walked around for a while and there was little to no talking between us. I watched her walk. Her long hair shook with her stride, and the empty eyes I'd grown accustomed to were filling with color every day. It made me excited for her.  
Her hand lay at her side. Her palm was outstretched just enough for me to be able to take it. I swallowed and reached out. I could feel my own palms perspiring. I wiped it on my jeans and took her hand in one quick concise movement. She said nothing, but she wrapped her fingers around my hand. I smiled to myself.  
What would my father say???  
After I dropped Aradia off at Gryffindor Tower, I found Nepeta in Hufflepuff. She was curled up in cat form by the fireplace. She greeted me with a purr and a curious look in her lamp like eyes. I smiled. She morphed back to human form and sat down on the floor in front of me.  
"Sooooo..."  
"Sooooo..." I said. She rolled her eyes.  
"Equius, how did it go?" she squealed. I looked at her.  
"It was good. But please don't go gossiping about it."  
"Why? It's the buzz of third year since Aradia-"  
"Yes, Nepeta, we all know what happened." I replied, quieting her. She stopped and stared at the floor.  
Well, Slytherin beat Ravenclaw by a slim few points. That meant that we were to play Ravenclaw, and if we won that, we'd play Slytherin. I couldn't wait to clobber Sollux in the air. I did last year, but this year, well. He was always trying to hog Aradia.  
Speaking of Aradia, we were set to have another date in 2 weeks. I was so excited. Nepeta was preparing me, asking me questions and quizzing me on what to say to her.  
"Try not to sweat, it's gross." she said as I mopped my forehead with a towel.  
"I can't help it!" I said.  
"Why not go to Madame Mendicant?"  
"I have. She said that even she couldn't help."  
A week passed, and I was hyping myself up for the big game. Nepeta was treating it like it wasn't a big deal, that she could certainly beat a kid with glasses so thick you couldn't break them if you tried. But I was worried about going up against him and Terezi, and if the rumors were true, Kanaya was a force to be reckoned with as well.  
I ate dinner the night before and stared at Sollux in silence. He did not touch the Sheppard's Pie. He stared at Aradia across the room. She was talking with Jade about... whatever girls talked about. I turned to see Feferi and Nepeta talking and giggling as well.  
"Are you gossiping again, Nepeta?"  
"No, we're talking about-"  
"Don't tell, Nep!"  
"I wasn't gonna!"  
"Oh my cod, you're ridiculous-"  
"Coming from you!" They giggled. I grew uncomfortable.  
"What're you two talking about? With all due respect, Heiress." I added hastily.  
"Feferi!" she corrected me with a singongy voice. "Anyways, Nepeta, I've told you about my... thing. What's your thing?"  
"Let me tell you about Shipping!" said Nepeta triumphantly. I groaned, but Feferi leaned in. "My cousin Meulin came up with four quadrants for shipping in. There's the red quadrant, which is for romantic relationships built on positive feelings. Then there's the Pale quadrant which is built on platonic feelings. It's like your soul mate but platonic. In short, your bestest friend ever! Equius is in my pale quadrant. We'll be best friends till death do us part!" said Nepeta. Feferi giggled. "Then there's the black quadrant. That's for feeling of hate that are romantic. Like... two people that find each other attractive but also hate each other. That's the black quadrant. I ship- never mind. Finally, there's the ashen quadrant. That's when two people hate each other, like, in a black way, but one person thinks that the relationship might be dangerous, so they step in and mediate."  
"That's all pretty cool, Nepeta. So, who's your OTP?"  
Nepeta blushed. "Umm... Equius and Aradia's cute in the red quadrant. I ship Karkat and Kanaya in the pale quadrant. OMG I found this new ship the other day at Quidditch practice! Rose and Kanaya is adorable!" Feferi cooed over the brilliantness of that ship, but I interrupted.  
"That's enough nonsense, Nepeta." I said. Feferi turned to me.  
"It's okay, I like this!" I finished my food and walked away.  
The Quidditch match was finally upon us. Nepeta suited up in silence. No breathing exercises. No jokes. No sound. She knew how important this game was to me, and to be honest I think she wanted to beat Kanaya for ruining one of her ships, Vriska and John.  
We filed onto the field. I noticed Aradia in the stands with Feferi and Eridan. Eridan I didn’t like, but Feferi was her... adopted sister??? It was all very complicated. I still didn’t know why the Nitrams, who had taken Damara, couldn't take Aradia, or why Aradia’s parents hadn’t taken Damara in the first place. I didn’t let it trouble me. I’d just ask Horuss.  
I kicked off and watched Sollux closely. He was not 10 feet from Nepeta. But Nepeta knew what she was doing. I hung back and waited for him to make a move.  
Ravenclaw pulled ahead. Terezi and Kanaya were ecstatic. I felt like throwing up.  
I hit a bludger toward Kanaya, who was about to score again. Unfortunately, it was meant to lazily speed past her, but I underestimated myself again and it knocked her off the broom. Handmaid stopped the fall and Kanaya was unhurt but in shock. Rose and Vriska tittered about her, and they insisted on accompanying her to the Hospital. I apologized to her, but she could not hear me. She shooed the girls away and re-mounted her broom with a look of determination on her face. Sollux and Porrim glared at me, and Terezi was furiously attempting to dismount her broom to come and reprimand me but her robe was stuck on her broom handle. I ignored them and soared back into the air. We resumed the game.  
Kanaya played like a beast, weaving in and out of Hufflepuff defenses and scoring each time. Ravenclaw was up 100 points. Nepeta searched frantically for the snitch, circling above like a hawk. I payed attention to Sollux. I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.  
Actually I take that back. I could likely throw him very far. Let’s just say that I didn’t trust him in the least bit, and the way he was speeding around right above Nepeta was making me nervous.  
Terezi scored, and then our chasers, Doze, Eggs, and Stitch scored 6 times while Clover, the Ravenclaw Keeper, wasn’t watching. Kanaya screamed. She was very scary when she was angry. I made sure to stay away from her. She masterfully dodged my bludgers.  
Suddenly, I noticed Nepeta in a dive. Sollux was right on her tail. Before I could comprehend what was happening, he knocked her out of the way and she spiraled to the left and fell to the ground. Handmaid wasn’t in time to stop the fall, though it wasn’t a very long fall at all.  
Rage boiled in my stomach. I yelled and hit a bludger as hard as I could in Sollux’s direction and flew after him, wanting to hurt him in any way I could. Nepeta lay in a heap on the other side of the field and Sollux fell to the ground, uprooting grass as he skidded across it and came to a stop. I landed and stalked toward him. I could feel my face burning and sweat pouring down my back and arms and face and legs and hands and stomach and chest.  
He tried to stand up and sat back down in a hurry. I grinned. Handmaid stopped me before I could get to him.  
“Stop, Zahhak, and let me tend to the wounded.”  
“NEPETA IS IN A FUCKING HEAP BECAUSE HIM!” I yelled. She shooshed me and went to tend to Sollux as Madame Mendicant conjured Nepeta onto a stretcher.  
As Sollux was taken away, he held up a snitch in his hand, struggling against his grip. He smiled a smile filled with blood and was taken away. I sat down on the field. I sat there for a long time. I sat for a very long time and when I stood up the sun was sinking down behind the castle. I stood up and ran to the Hospital to find Nepeta in a bed, alive and well. I passed Sollux’s bed on my way, which was crowded with people. Feferi approached me.  
“Hey, Equius.” she said, walking up to my. I greeted her with a terse nod. “Is she okay?” she asked anxiously.  
“She’s stronger than you think.” I said firmly. “She’ll be great.” Feferi nodded and returned to Sollux’s bedside.  
Kanaya came to Nepeta’s bed and I apologized to her. She waved it off.  
“It’s fine.” she said. “I didn’t get hurt. I don’t blame you, it’s just a game.” I nodded.  
Nepeta stirred. She looked at me.  
“Did we win?” she croaked. I sighed.  
“No.” I replied. She groaned. She did not look good at all. She had two black eyes and her lip was split. Her arm looked funny and her leg under the covers bent at an awkward angle. bruises peppered her skin. Scrapes accompanied them. Madame Mendicant had to shave off a ton of hair on the left side of her head in order to seal her skull and skin back up. The gash was just a white line, now. But Nepeta did not want the hair to be grown back.  
“Show them that I have a fight in me. Scar me all you want, I will embrace the pain.” she growled.  
“Captor is a bad person for doing that to you.” I said vehemently. She chuckled and winced at the pain it caused.  
“No. I don’t like the terms ‘good person’ or ‘bad person’ because it’s impossible to be entirely good to everyone or entirely bad to everyone. To some, you are a good person, while to others, you are a bad person. Sollux is a good person to Feferi, but a bad person to you, and me too. He’s not a good person, but he’s not a bad one either.”  
“Yeah, but you’re stronger than him.” I said, remembering our tough workouts. One of her proudest moments was when she benched 1000 lbs.  
“The strong feed upon weak. It's such an obligingly simple rule. I decided to break it.” she replied, smiling goofily. I rolled my eyes.  
“You’re quoting and Anime, aren’t you?” I said. She smiled and attempted to shrug, but winced as she tried to move.  
“Be still.” I said. she closed her eyes and fell asleep. My eyes fell on the part of her head that had been shaved and I was very angry.  
Then Madame Mendicant shooed us away and I left reluctantly.  
I visited Nepeta the next morning before class with Aradia. Sollux was still asleep when we walked by his bed. She didn't look at him.  
I gave my flowers to Nepeta and promised I'd bring her candy as soon as I could. She grinned.  
"Don't get a new best friend while I'm stuck in here!" she said. I smiled.  
"I won't."  
Actually, it seemed it was me who should have been worried. Feferi and this girl named Roxy visited every day for hours on end, and I felt really awkward when they were there due to all the gossiping. So I waited for them to be gone for the most part when I made my visits.  
Then Aradia and I went to breakfast. I didn't know how I felt about leaving Nepeta with Sollux, since he seemed to hate me, but I was sure she'd be able to defend herself even with a lot of her bones on the mend. Plus there were her gossipy girl friends there, and I didn't want to underestimate her. It seemed to always be a fatal mistake.  
After school I got permission to go to Hogsmeade with Aradia and Feferi and we bought a ton of stuff to keep Nepeta occupied in her hospital bed. Candy and books and pranks and bottles of butterbeer and flowers and photographs all were included in the basket. She was thrilled. She cooed about the gifts with Roxy and Feferi, and the three laughed and giggled about myself and Aradia holding hands. I began perspiring. Sollux's bedside was nearly bare save for some lonely boxes of every flavored beans from Terezi and a vase of flowers and some Droobles from Feferi. I snickered at him. He was asleep while we were there, but when he woke up, Aradia went over and bestowed a single chocolate frog card on his bedside. He tried to engage in a conversation with her, but she left the hospital. I left Roxy, Feferi and Nepeta to gossip and went after her.  
I found her sitting outside the library staring at her shoes.  
"Aradia, what's the matter?" I asked, offering my hand to her. She took it and stood up.  
"Nothing... I just feel bad for Nepeta."  
"Me too, but she's strong. If it had been Captor who had fallen so far he would have died." She looked upset so I stopped talking about Sollux and we went back in and stayed with Nepeta for the rest of the evening despite Roxy and Feferi still giggling with her over the latest student news. She was happy, though, so I decided to let it slide.  
“Nepeta. Oh. My. Gosh. You did not just ship that!” Roxy said, giggling.   
“I did! They would be so cute!”  
“Yeah, but isn’t Eridan gay?”  
“No!” said Feferi. “I mean... maybe? We don’t really talk about that sort of thing. It upsets him.”  
“I’ll ship whatever I want... even though some of it may never become canon because of silly sexual orientations. Why can’t everyone be pasexual???”  
“The world sure would be less complicated.” said Feferi, and averted her eyes. Roxy sighed.  
“Yeah...” said Roxy. Nepeta and Feferi exchanged meaningful glances as they patted Roxy on the back. I began to feel out of place in the conversation, so I grabbed Aradia’s hand and we left through the front doors of the hospital, passing Sollux as we went. 

Sollux:  
Aradia got out of the hospital after two weeks, but I still wouldn’t let her be alone. I had been so fucking stupid, and I wasn’t about to let her hurt herself again. I made Jade stay with her in the dorm at all times, and I tried to be there whenever I could. I don’t know what I would have done if she’d died.  
I tried to make it up to her in whatever way I could. She seemed to be smiling more, in a way reminiscent of first year. I found myself worrying about her less, and enjoying her company more.  
When Quidditch season came around, I dragged Aradia with me to support Kanaya, who was trying out for the team. Terezi came too. Rose was there, and she seemed happy to watch Kanaya, but as the tryouts dragged on, I noticed her watching Vriska, who was also there. When Kanaya landed and went straight to Vriska, Rose scowled, and left the pitch without so much as a goodbye.  
I couldn’t blame her. I waited until Vriska was gone, because if there were two people I hated more than myself, Vriska was one of them. Terezi, Aradia finally approached Kanaya, who’d definitely managed to make the team. She was better than any of the other Chaser potentials.  
“Wonderful job Kanaya,” Terezi said with a grin, as Aradia hung back a bit awkwardly.  
“Thank you,” the girl said distractedly, looking around the field. She turned to me. “Do you know if Rose was here?” she asked.  
“Yeah. She left awhile ago. Probably couldn’t stand to see all the pathetic excuses for Quidditch players we had trying out. Other than you. You did fine.”  
Terezi rolled her eyes. “Gog, Sollux. Don’t be so negative. With the team we have now, with the addition of Kanaya, the other houses don’t have a chance!”  
“They’ll cheat.”  
“I...think you are underestimating the other houses,” Kanaya said carefully. “Also, I do not believe anyone will cheat.”  
Terezi cackled. “Please! They cheated last year. Why would that change? I still remember Vriska’s completely obvious cheating, even if you’ve forgotten it.”  
“That wasn’t cheating!” Kanaya argued. I began to formulate a response, but then noticed that Aradia had disappeared somewhere. I completely forgot the conversation, and exchanged a quick glance with Terezi, whose eyes widened in alarm. Shit. How could I have been so fucking stupid as to let Aradia go off on her own?  
I walked quickly away from the others, wondering where she could have possibly gone. My worry was growing, because it wouldn’t take her long, once alone to-  
I wouldn’t let myself think about it.  
I nearly collapsed from relief when I found her, not far from the Quidditch pitch, by the forbidden forest. “Gog dammit, AA.”  
She looked at me oddly. “Gog?”  
“Something Terezi says.” I moved on. “What could have possibly made you think it would be a good idea to wander off?”  
“I’m perfectly fine on my own,” she said a bit distantly.  
“Oh yeah, because finding you bleeding to death in the bathroom totally makes me think you’re perfectly fine!”  
“I’m not going to go off and kill myself, if that’s what you’re worried about.”  
I flinched a little, and didn’t leave. She sighed, turning away from me, and I walked by her until classes began and we had to go back inside.  
It was no surprise to anyone when Kanaya made the team. Practice wouldn’t begin for a week, because fucking Hufflepuff had claimed the field on the days we usually met.  
A few days later, I met Aradia outside the greenhouse as she left Herbology. She glared at me as she approached. “You don’t have to meet me wherever I go.”  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I defended. She scoffed.  
“You and Kanaya have been alternating meeting me outside Herbology ever since I got out of the hospital.”  
I opened my mouth to respond, and then noticed the creepy asshole, Equius, approaching us. What the fuck could he want? He coughed awkwardly before speaking, ignoring me and facing Aradia.  
“Aradia,” he said.  
“Yes,” Aradia replied, glancing at me. Equius took a deep breath.  
“Would you accompany me to Hogsmeade next weekend?”  
What the fuck? What right did this sweaty asshole have to ask out Aradia? It didn’t really matter though, because there was no chance she’d say yes.  
“I’m okay with it,” Aradia said, voice distant. I looked between Equius and Aradia, wondering what had just happened. How could Aradia be okay with spending anytime with him?  
“See you at the Three Broomsticks then,” Equius said, voice formal. I was still processing. Aradia nodded.  
“See you then,” she replied, and then Equius walked away. I stared after him furiously. From what I knew, Zahhak was a pureblood elitist who was overbearing and obnoxious. Now, he seemed to be using Aradia for someone reason or another.  
Five minutes ago, my two least favorite people (other than myself) had been Eridan and Vriska. Equius had just shot by them.  
When I got over my shock, I spun on Aradia. “What was that?” I asked.  
“What?”  
“Agreeing to go on a...date...with that douchebag!”  
“He’s perfectly nice,” Aradia defended. “I’ve got no problem with anything.”  
“He’s over controlling of his friends, an elitist snob, and a complete asshole.”  
“Oh?” Aradia asked, glaring at me. “He’s over controlling?”  
“What the fuck are you talking about now?”  
“You won’t leave me alone for even a minute without coming over to rant at me.”  
“That’s just because I’m worried about you,” I argued back, growing exasperated. Aradia’s eyes were darkening.  
“That makes you a hypocrite then. I’m sure Equius is worried about Nepeta.”  
“She didn’t try to kill herself,” I yelled back, getting to the heart of the issue. I immediately regretted it, and wondered briefly if I’d taken my medication this morning. I opened my mouth to take it back, but Aradia spat out her next words like ice.  
“Maybe that wouldn’t have happened if you had thought for just one second and talked to me.”  
I flinched backward as if I’d been struck. Aradia had just said what I was thinking-what I’d been thinking every second of every day since I found her on the bathroom floor. “So that’s what this is about,” I said voice heavy. “You still don’t trust me, and you trust him.”  
“I forgave you already, Sollux,” Aradia said tiredly, as if she was regretting her words as well. The problem is, you can’t take back something you meant.  
“That’s not the same fucking thing. Gog knows you’re probably right. In fact, who even knows why you’re friends with me in first place.”  
“You aren’t a bad person Sollux. It’ll just...take time.”  
“How much?”  
“I don’t know!” She paused then, as if crafting her next sentence. “Besides...how can you expect me to trust you when you aren’t telling me everything?”  
I looked at her incredulously. “What?”  
“What did you say to me before I blacked out that you don’t want me to know?”  
“...I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied quickly. The words that had come out of my mouth flashed through my mind, but even I didn’t know why I had said them. It had just seemed...right.  
“Yes you do! In the hospital, you asked me about it and then refused to tell me what you’d meant,” Aradia said. I looked her right in the eye, and pretended I wasn’t lying. She saw right through me-I could tell in the slump of her shoulders and the darkness in her eyes. “Never mind then,” she said quietly. “I’ll see you later.”  
“Aradia wait-” I began, but she’d quickly disappeared into Hogwarts. I watched her silhouette until another fell into place beside it, and then I walked away.  
She barely talked to me for the next week, and even then, she was more distant than usual. I caught myself staring at her at odd times, and I couldn’t think of much else. Then, thankfully, Quidditch season started and provided a welcome distraction.  
Kanaya’s older sister, a sixth year named Porrim, was our captain this year. Our first game was against Slytherin, and I was just as determined to beat Vriska as ever.  
The game started off well enough-Terezi, Porrim, and Kanaya made for an amazing team of chasers, and we shot into the lead. I scowled at Vriska as she showed off for the crowd, and made a point of focusing on the game.  
Ravenclaw was up 280-150 when I spotted the snitch, and fell into a long dive. Vriska was right next to me, but I was smaller and faster, and I pulled ahead of her by a small margin. I could feel her sleeve right next to me, and the snitch was on her side, but I figured if I just reached over I could reach it…  
Admittedly, it would require knocking Vriska off her broomstick, but she would deserve it, and it wasn’t like someone wouldn’t catch her. I began to lean over, when a shout from behind me distracted me.  
“Sollux!” I heard my name, and the momentary pause it gave me was just enough for Vriska to reach out...and grab the snitch. She smirked at me.  
“”You snooze, you lose!”  
I spun around, shooting to the ground with the intention of destroying whoever had distracted me. It took a minute, but I placed the voice as Kanaya’s when I noticed the rest of the team shouting at her.  
“What the fuck?” I asked irritably as I approached her. She flushed.  
“You were about to knock her off her broomstick.”  
“Yeah, so? Quidditch is a game in which many people get injured! If we rest, we will lose!” Terezi exclaimed.  
Will, a fifth year who everyone called Matchsticks, backed her up. “Yeah, come on Kanaya. That wasn’t cool.”  
Clover and Trace, two more of our team-mates just scowled at her. Kanaya shrank under the negative attention, and Porrim sighed, pulling her aside.  
Terezi and I walked back to the castle silently, annoyed. I was so depressed about the game, I didn’t even remember Aradia’s date with Equius until later that night. When I saw the two of them returning, I found myself in an even more foul mood, and fought the urge to break something.  
When I talked to Aradia, she told me she had a perfectly fine time, and that they were meeting up in a couple of weeks.  
I fought the urge to break something again, and I failed. I blew up one of Karkat’s old textbooks, but didn’t feel any better.  
Karkat cornered me after dinner the next night.  
“What in the ever-loving fuck is going on with you?”  
“Nice to see you too, KK.”  
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You’ve been more of a shitstain than usual lately, if that’s even possible. What incredibly minor thing crawled up your ass and died?”  
“Because I really want to divulge all my secrets to you. That sounds like a great idea!”  
“Oh, like I care. Believe it or not, most people don’t give a flying fuck about your issues!”  
“You obviously seem to care in some screwed up way that probably doesn’t qualify is caring, or you wouldn’t be talking to me.”  
“Fuuuck you are pathetic! Everything about you screams ‘problems’ and then you act like nothing is wrong with you.”  
“Yeah, says the boy who is so desperate for attention he seeks out someone who obviously does not want to talk.”  
Karkat glared at me, but his gaze quickly turned triumphant. “I only forced myself to suffer through this conversation because I know for a fact something’s wrong. And it’s not like I don’t know what it is.”  
“What have you deluded yourself into believing now?”  
“Aradia.”  
I stilled for a moment. Karkat had a habit of being accurate as fuck. I brushed it off though. “Kanaya. Would you like to throw out any more random names, or is your limited intellect satisfied for the moment?”  
“Sometimes I wonder how you ended up in Ravenclaw. You know what I mean! You screwed up with Operation whatever-the-fuck, you blame yourself for her nearly dying, and now she’s going out with Equius, and you’re jealous.”  
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”  
Karkat laughed a little. “I am the master of romance. I am so spot-on here. Did I mention the part where you are determined to crush Equius in Quidditch?”  
“He put me in a coma last year. Why the fuck wouldn’t I want to beat him?”  
Karkat rolled his eyes. “It’s not like you have any hope of beating Hufflepuff, especially if you play the way you did last game.”  
“Fuck off.”  
“Yeah, sure, whatever. I’m not going to convince you into anything, you messed up fucknut.”  
Karkat began to walk away, but paused, turning back half way down the hallway. “We’re still friends, right?” he asked. I rolled my eyes.  
“Yeah.”  
The Quidditch match against Hufflepuff came all too fast. I spent every moment I could practicing. I was determined to beat Hufflepuff, especially so we could still have a chance at the Cup.  
The night before, I didn’t touch my food. I tried to think of anything but Quidditch, and my mind jumped to Aradia. My eyes found her at the Gryffindor table, and Karkat’s words ran through my mind. “Now she’s going out with Equius, and you’re jealous.”  
I dismissed them. Karkat had no idea what he was talking about, just like usual.  
I was up early the next morning, despite my attempts to get a good night’s sleep. It would figure that my body would betray me like that. Despite it all though, I was wide awake as we went down to the Quidditch pitch to warm up before the match. I shot glares at the Hufflepuffs as they prepared across the field-mainly Equius though. He had knocked me out before, and I didn’t want to happen again.  
I was really glad it wasn’t raining. That game had sucked even though we’d lost. Finally, as the stands filled, the game was ready to begin. I looked at the Ravenclaw stands to see Rose, Jade, John, Dave, Vriska, Gamzee and Karkat sitting there. Where was Aradia? I’d thought she was coming to the games.  
I switched my gaze around until I found her sitting in the Hufflepuff stands with Feferi and Eridan. I scowled, and ignored the strange feeling in my stomach. Finally, the call came to mount the brooms. I traded a stare with Nepeta, the other seeker, and she grinned, vicious and sharp. I became even more determined.  
The whistle blew and the game began. I flew up to the top of the stadium, surveying the ground below. Nepeta followed me. I glared at her, and she smiled back sweetly. Fucking cat girls.  
I searched desperately for a glimmer of gold, but found nothing. Meanwhile, I kept an ear out for the score. Ravenclaw was up by twenty points within the first five minutes, and we kept that lead, increasing it to fifty. We couldn’t get it higher though, and the whole game still depended on who caught the snitch. The game dragged on. I traded glares with Equius, who seemed to dislike me for some reason. I didn’t care, because I was sure I hated him more. I probably hated him more than I hated myself, Vriska, and Eridan combined, and that was saying something.  
Kanaya scored another goal, and she and Terezi high fived in the air. I have no idea how they managed that, because Terezi couldn’t see a fucking thing, but I didn’t really care.  
I saw something out of the corner of my eye and darted towards it, before realizing it was just the gold corner of a Gryffindor banner. What the fuck was a Gryffindor banner doing at a Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff game?  
Terezi stole the ball from a Hufflepuff sixth year whose name I didn’t know, and flew towards the goal. She moved to toss it, but Equius hit a bludger towards her, sending her diving to the side to avoid it. She dropped the quaffed, and Kanaya swooped at a deep angle to catch it, twisting to the side. She stretched out to reach it….and suddenly, she was separated from the broom and tumbling down to earth.  
Handmaid rushed out onto the field, wand aloft, and slowed down her fall, bringing her down gently. I noticed that both Vriska and Rose had bolted up out of their seats. I hoped that Rose would get there first.  
Porrim frantically called a timeout, and both teams dove down to the earth. Kanaya was already standing, brushing both Vriska and Rose off. She looked irritated, and I was pleased when she remounted her broom and insisted on playing.  
I glared at Equius as I searched for the snitch. Kanaya seemed to have had a renewed burst of energy, and we took the lead by a hundred. It still wasn’t enough to win. Nepeta kept following me, so I followed her. That way, neither of us could really track the other. She glared at me.  
Equius also glared at me, and I felt a burst of pride that I’d managed to piss him off. I searched and searched for the snitch, and the gap in score had shortened to eighty points when I saw the snitch, pushing Nepeta out of the way to dive towards it.  
I was so engrossed in the dive that I didn’t notice the bludger flying towards me until it hit me in the leg with a sickening crack and a burst of pain. I nearly blacked out, but managed to spiral down to the ground in some semblance of a dive.  
I could distantly hear Porrim calling for a time out, and my vision blurred a bit around the edges. But I could still see the snitch, and it was so close. I jumped forward, forgetting about my room and grabbed it, falling to the ground with a jolt. As Madame Mendicant lifted me onto a stretcher, I smirked at Equius’s face, which was full of rage, and flashed him the snitch.  
Victory. Nothing could be sweeter. Then I passed out.  
When I woke up, the entire Quidditch team was crowded around my bedside, along with my friends. There were loud deafening shrieks as I woke up, and Madame Mendicant rushed over to quiet everyone down.  
While they were distracted, I glanced over at Nepeta, who was a few beds down from me. She looked really beaten up. Equius was beside her, and there was actual human emotion on his face. I didn’t expect that. He looked a bit choked up over the whole situation, but I dismissed it. Ravenclaw had won, and I really didn’t care about that douchebag. For all I could care, he could just blink out of existence, and his entire life could become void.  
Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh. But he had knocked Kanaya off a broom and hurt me during a Quidditch game twice. I stopped thinking about Equius, and focused back on the people next to my bed, who’d been thoroughly reprimanded and were now somewhat calm.  
“Sollux!” Terezi announced with a grin. “You are my new favorite person.”  
“Well that’s great,” Karkat grumbled. “Now you have a new person to rank just under red chalk.”  
“Shut up, Karkat! You’re ruining my compliment!”  
“Yeah, whatever, can you too stop flirting?” A familiar, irritating voice grumbled nearby my head. Eridan looked at Feferi. “Now can we get out of here?  
“What is he doing here?” I asked Feferi. She sighed.  
“Why can’t you two grumpy glubbers just get along for once?”  
Neither of us responded.  
“Okay, fine. Sollux, great job! I guess we’ll be going then.” Feferi grabbed Eridan’s arm and pulled him out of the hospital.  
After congratulations and cheers from my Quidditch team, everyone filed out until it was just Jade, Kanaya, Rose, Vriska Karkat, Terezi, and...Aradia beside my bed. Vriska wouldn’t leave while Kanaya was still there, and Kanaya didn’t want to leave, so I was stuck with the spider bitch.  
Equius was still standing by Nepeta, looking angry. Creepy douchebag. I allowed myself a moment to be pleased that Aradia was standing next to me and not him, and then dismissed the thought from my mind.  
I talked with my friends for awhile, and then Madame Mendicant shooed them out. I shared an awkward moment with Nepeta, and then Mendicant practically forced the two of us to go to sleep. The taste of victory, as Terezi phrased it, was still on my mind.

Vriska  
After that disastrous Quidditch match, Rose and Kanaya left to see Sollux in the hospital. He... didn't really like me, so I went to the library to do some homework. I was having a grand old time when none other than Peter Pan, as I called him, rolled in on his dumb wheelchair.  
Tavros approached me slowly. Man I hated him. There wasn't really any rhyme or reason as to why, I just did. Whenever he opened his mouth to talk I wanted to scream. Everything he did annoyed the ever loving shit out of me.  
"What do you want, Peter?" I said. He bristled.  
"Vriska, I'm self confident now and I don't want you do call me Peter anymore."  
I laughed. "What do you want, Peter?" he sighed.  
"I wanted advice."  
"Okay."  
"Well, I just broke up with Jade, and-"  
"Wait. You. You broke up with Jade????" I was taken aback. Jade was one of the prettiest girls I'd ever seen, and Tavros broke up with her????  
"Yeah, so ummmmm... now I just kind of wanted to get back into the dating pool."  
"Pools aren't really my thing, ask Feferi." I replied, going back to my book. I thought the gesture might have dismissed him well enough, but he pressed on.  
"Ummm... I don't trust her."  
"And you trust me?"  
"Well, yeah, I guess." he said. I laughed.  
"You've got to be kidding me. I paralyzed you, Peter! You're an idiot." I was getting tired of this conversation.  
"I'm not mad at you for that."  
"What?" I said. This was too much. He was so soft. I wanted to cry. I tried so hard to make him stronger and better, and he was just so weak and awful to be around all the time.  
"Yeah, it's not your fault, well, it is your fault, but I'm not mad about it."  
"WHAT?" I was on the verge of crying. I stood up and towered over him in his lame little chair. I could feel my eyes burning and there was a lump in my throat.  
"Well I-"  
"You don't fucking blame me for paralyzing you???" I screamed. I could hear Hussie moving toward us, knocking over books as he went, broom in hand. I ignored him and kept screaming at Tavros. He bursted.  
"Vriska shut up!" yelled Tavros. I sat down and glared.  
"What the fuck do you want?" I asked. He smiled a quiet interesting smile I'd never seen on him before. He brushed off his legs and... HE STOOD UP.  
"Madame Mendicant said that it would take time, but she could heal my legs." he said. My eyes bulged out of my head.  
"You're tall now!" I said. He smiled.  
"Yeah, I can stand now." he said. I'm still getting used to it... I can’t walk down stairs..."  
"Great." I said. I felt like a zillion pounds had been lifted off my shoulders. He could walk. He was okay. I didn't feel guilty for something I hadn't known I was guilty about in the first place. I reached over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Keep trying those stairs," I said, and left.  
The next morning, I sat with Eridan and Karkat at the Slytherin table and watched Tavros in Hufflepuff. Equius looked strangely bare without Nepeta at his side. It almost made me feel bad for him. Almost.  
Feferi wasn't there, probably with Nepeta. I did feel bad for her. Seekers like her don't deserve to get hurt like that.  
I watched Tavros ask for things and talk and laugh and I almost felt... pride? Had he finally gained confidence? Is that a thing?  
He caught me staring and I smiled and waved. He blushed and looked away.  
Later, after class, I cornered him. He was walking alone and I won't deny that I took advantage of that.  
"Heeeeeeeey, Tav." I said. He looked around nervously.  
"Hi, uhh, Vriska."  
"So, Hogsmeade is coming up. You wanna come with me?" It wasn't a question.  
"S-sure." he replied. "I'll pick you up by the Slytherin Dungeon at-"  
"I'll meet you in the three broomsticks." I interrupted. "at 4."  
"Not 8?"  
"No, you dope, not 8, it'll be dark by then."  
"Okay, so, 4:00." he confirmed, hefting his books.  
"Probably," I said, and walked away.  
I found Kanaya to report this news almost immediately.  
"Kanaya!" I said, running up. I tackled her with a huge hug and she grinned at me as I helped her up.  
"What's going on?" she said. I smiled.  
"Good news. I asked out Tavros."  
"What?"  
"I did it! He said yes! We're having a date pretty soon here..."  
"Why did you ask out Tavros? You never told me about liking him..."  
"Well, now he can walk and I just was really glad, and-"  
"Excuse me." she left. I stood very still and watched the hem of her robes, lined with Ravenclaw blue, disappear behind the corner.  
But I decided not to let her bug me. Since Ravenclaw postponed their game against Gryffindor, there wasn't a game this weekend, and Hogsmeade wasn't for two weekends, so I spent it with the books in the library. Kanaya was avoiding me, and the only other person I could possibly talk to is Eridan, so I spent my weekend studying. I never noticed how empty I was without Kanaya by my side.  
On Sunday night, I noticed Rose and Kanaya at the Ravenclaw table talking and laughing. Rose looked at Kanaya in a way that I did not like. I tried to talk to Kanaya after dinner but she walked away before I could approach her.  
The weekend ended and I went back to class. I found myself counting down the days and hours and minutes to my date with Tavros. I knew that I had to be late, but only fashionably late, late by only 8 minutes. It's the perfect amount of lateness. I planned out what I would wear, I planned out exactly which lip gloss I would bring, I planned out exactly how I would wear my eyeliner.  
You can't accuse me of being unprepared.  
The evening of the date I waited until 3:00 to get ready and until 4 to meander down to Hogsmeade. He was waiting in the three broomsticks, and I was there, exactly 8 minutes late.  
"Heeeeeeeey, Tavros!" I said, swinging myself into my chair. He glared.  
"You're late."  
"Oh, shut up. That's no way to start a date."  
We talked and drank. I did most of the talking, but he was able to get a word or two in sometimes.  
When I came back to the castle I sought out Kanaya. She and Rose were reading in the library.  
"Hey, Kanaya."  
"Hi." she said. I glanced at Rose, and then looked at Kanaya.  
"Can I help you, Vriska?" she asked. Her face was white. Rose stared at her.  
"Well, my date was tonight." I said, feeling a little awkward. I bounced on the balls of my feet.  
"Good for you." said Kanaya. I felt shame bubbling in my stomach and a lump in my throat.  
"See you later then."  
"Maybe." said Kanaya, and she went back to her book. I left before I could start crying.  
I didn't cry for long, maybe 5 minutes, because I didn't want to let Rose Lalonde ruin my night. I wasn't dumb. I knew she convinced Kanaya to treat me like dirt. And I hated her.  
The next morning the paper ran a story about Minister Peixes adopting Aradia. I couldn't care less about Aradia, but Feferi was sort of my friend. I watched her and Meenah in the back of the lunchroom and noticed Aradia leaving. Sollux left shortly thereafter, followed by Equius. I snorted.  
I began to read the article and stopped when I saw Eridan's dad's name. I glared at him. He looked at me, his face burning.  
"What the hell Eridan?" I said. "Did you have anything to do with-" He interrupted.  
"My dad does what he wants. I hope Fef is okay..."  
He got up and approached her and I looked at Karkat.  
"Did you know about Aradia and Feferi?"  
"No." he said. "Sollux doesn't talk about girls with me." I stared at Handmaid, who was angrily surveying the hall and glaring around. I looked back at Feferi, Eridan, and Meenah. Feferi was yelling, which was different.  
I looked over at Aranea.  
"Aranea!" I said. "Did you know about this?"  
"Yeah, but Meenah's my girlfriend." she said. Ignoring this piece of news that no one told me about, I stared at Kanaya across the hall. To my surprise, she got up and approached me.  
She told Aranea to go to Meenah, and Aranea did, and Meenah calmed herself down and they shared in a quick kiss. I wondered how in the hell that happened.  
Before I could say anything, Kanaya was gone, and I was left with Karkat and Gam- where was Gamzee? I hadn't seen him in the common room or anywhere. I turned to Karkat and he was seeming to notice the clown's absence for the first time. He looked a bit panicked.  
"Have you seen-"  
"No." I said. I decided to follow him back to the common room  
"Gamzee! Where are you!" said Karkat loudly. I went into the boy's dorm and called out. Karkat followed me.  
"Why are you helping?"  
"Gamzee's my sort of friend too and I really have nothing else I could be doing. Also, I think he could be dangerous. That is why you two are friends, yes?” Before he could answer, Meenah Peixes burst in.  
"What the glub are you guys doing in here?" asked Meenah. I turned.  
"We were looking for Gamzee."  
"Really?" said Meenah. "Kurloz's cousin?"  
"He's my friend." said Karkat.  
"Okay, whatevs. Vriska, you don't want to get into trouble for being here in the Buoy's section. C'Mon." she placed her hand gingerly on my shoulder and we left Karkat calling for his friend.  
We went to the common room and sat down. Aranea was there. I looked at them, sitting so close together on the sofa. There was silence for a moment, then-  
"So," I said casually. "When's the wedding?" Aranea flushed red and squealed, Meenah laughed.  
"After we leave school." said Meenah, twisting her braids. I grinned.  
"I'm glad you're happy, Aranea." I said. She smiled.  
"Yeah, I guess I am, Vriska. But you can't tell mom or dad."  
"What?"  
"They'll drag me home if they knew I had a girlfriend. Meenah's told her mom, but the family's keeping it hush hush."  
"Because that seemed to work today," I said. Meenah glared.  
"Someone ratted. It was probably Cronus' dad, never trusted him myself."  
"Shoosh, Meenah." said Aranea. "We might never know for sure. For all we know it could be Doc Fucking Scratch."  
"I know. It's just, I'm sick of nothing being secret anymore."  
The next morning, the paper told a story no one was expecting. Not even me.  
The paper featured Terezi's father speaking about what happened with us and how Aradia blinded her, which wasn't true. I blinded her, but I wasn't about to go tell everyone that.  
I turned to Eridan, who was talking to Karkat and Gamzee.  
"You know, I've told Fef what I think about Aradia. I just question her sanity. I'm concerned about having a suicidal person living with Feferi."  
"What the fuck's your fucking problem?" I said. He turned.  
"What?"  
"What the fuck is your fucking problem?" I said, heavily annunciating every word. He stared.  
"What?"  
"Aradia attempted suicide! She didn't kill your mother! You're an idiot."  
"How dare you! That's hardly your pl-"  
"Feferi likes Aradia and wants to help her. She's kind. That's more than you can say."  
"You're one to talk." he replied. Karkat looked uncomfortable. Gamzee quietly sipped his juice and then went back to playing with his fruit.  
"This is not about me. This is about you stopping at nothing to be the worst person if her life. If you don't shape up now, she's gonna leave you first chance she gets." I stood up, grabbed a piece of toast, and stalked off.  
Eridan stared after me.  
I found Feferi in the Slytherin Common Room with Meenah.  
"I don't mean to pry, but Eridan is a massive douche."  
"I know," said Feferi. "He's told me how he feels about Aradia. I wish he'd see reason."  
"Okay, you be careful with him."  
"It's not like he'll kill me if I break up with him... so to speak."  
"Yeah, okay." I said. She smiled as I went up the stairs to my dorm.  
I wasn't feeling good, so I decided to skip classes that day. I lied in bed and slept. I slept for a long time.  
Finally, I woke up at around 8:00pm and felt really hungry, but dinner was long over. So crept down the stairs to the common room and saw Aranea studying alone.  
"Oh, you're finally awake." she said. "Wanna sneak down to the kitchens with me?"  
"Yeah." I said, and we went. The house elves provided us with some corned beef hash and honey cake and strudel and tea. We took our glorious loot back to the common room with us and ate by the fire. There was a comforting, calm silence, then-  
"Do you know why I broke up with Porrim?" said Aranea. I shrugged.  
"Good." she said. She finished her tea and excused herself to bed. I was left with cakes and hash alone.  
Halloween passed and I spent that night eating at the feast and hanging out with Tavros. He was really sweet, almost too much so. I made a note to myself to stamp that out of him as soon as possible.  
We played Hufflepuff that weekend and we lost. I felt kind of out of it, and while Hufflepuff was ahead by more than 150 points I stupidly caught the snitch. Nepeta was still in the hospital.  
After the game, Tavros and I went out. He cheered me up and we drank butterbeer and talked. It was nice.  
Gryffindor and Ravenclaw played the next weekend. I sat in the stands to support Kanaya. She played beautifully, and Tav and I cheered when Ravenclaw won. Dave was less than happy, however, and almost lost his dumb shades while he threw his temper tantrum.  
A while later, Tavros and I went to study in the library. We studied for a while, then there was dinner. I decided not to go.  
"Are you sure?" he asked. He looked genuinely concerned. I nodded.  
"I have some more stuff to attend to." I said, and he shrugged. Before he left, I leaned forward and kissed his nose."See you tomorrow." He smiled quietly and left.  
About 15 minutes later, Rose approached me.  
"Vriska," she said tersely.  
"Rose." I said, mimicking her tone. She glared.  
"Look, I don't like you, and you don't like me. But we both have Kanaya. So I think it would be in our best interests to make up, or at least be cordial around each other, while she's with us. I won't talk shit about you to her, you won't slam about me behind my back. Deal?"  
"Hmm. Let me check how much time I have for frigid bitches. Hmm, none! I have no time for frigid bitches today!"  
"But somehow you make the time for letting Aradia take the blame for blinding Terezi."  
"Oh, let's be honest, Rose, if you did that to someone you sure wouldn't be in any hurry to tell anyone about it."  
"Lies! I would fess up immediately!"  
"Oh, like how you fess up to your crush on Kanaya?"  
"What?"  
"Oh, yeah, Lalonde, I'm well aware." I said, and pointed to my glass eye I'd refused to have healed. "Even the blind can see the way you look at her, it's not hard to miss."  
"What?"  
"Yeah. So throw Terezi in my face one more time, and I shan't hesitate to drop Kanaya a little note saying-"  
"Fine." said Rose. I smiled politely, but it was fake.  
"Good. Now, bye!" I said. She walked out of the library and I went on reading my book.  
The next morning, I watched Rose methodically eat her toast and carry on conversations with her tablemates. I caught her eye and she flipped me off. I chose to ignore this. When I got up to leave, I walked over to Tavros and kissed him on the forehead before going to my first class.  
Kanaya approached me after classes were over.  
"I- I heard you and Rose made a truce."  
"Heard it from who?"  
"Rose."  
"Oh, yeah, totally. We definitely did that." I said. She smiled.  
"So... how's Tavros?"  
"He's great!" I said. Kanaya smiled.  
"That's good."  
"Yeah."  
Silence.  
"Well, I should probably get to the library. Lots to do!"  
"Yeah. See you later."  
"Bye!" She walked away, but not toward the library. And I went to find Tavros.  
We had another date that weekend after the Quidditch Match. Ravenclaw played Hufflepuff for the Quidditch Cup. Since the last Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff match went so well, there was a protective bubble around the stands so no one could run into a spectator or hit the ground hard. Usually this was against the rules, but Handmaid made an exception.  
The game was 3 hours long. Equius played like a maniac, protecting Nepeta while simultaneously knocking Porrim off her broom and hitting Terezi's arm so hard it would be easier to regrow the bones than to heal them.  
Other than that, Sollux was like smoke, impossible to catch and super deadly. He was accustomed to Equius' brute force and all his tricks and weaved around bludgers like a pro, and it won them the game. They screamed themselves hoarse, even Porrim and Terezi, who were being conjured onto stretchers as the fanfare began.  
There was a huge party in Ravenclaw and I decided to attend because I liked parties. Tavros and I got cleaned up and went. There was food from the kitchens and butterbeer and firewhiskey. I hit the firewhiskey a little hard, and it didn't help that Meenah kept shouting for me to take another shot and calling me a clownfish.  
But the crowning moment was when Kanaya held up the trophy for all to see. She was so happy, she was smiling beautifully, and I couldn't help but forgive her for ignoring me for all that time.  
Tavros and Aranea helped me back to Slytherin that night. I waved goodbye before we entered the common room and she helped me up the stairs and into warm pajamas. She put on some pajamas too and crawled into bed with me. I didn't mind. It was nice to have human closeness.  
Suddenly, it was the end of November, and December blew around like a gust of wind. Snow began to fall one afternoon in Mind fang’s class and she was feeling generous enough to let us peer out the windows and stare at the thick flakes coating the grounds. The only person who was disappointed was Feferi, who swam in the lake a lot.  
"Now it'll freeze over!"  
"Fef, yesterday it was 40 degrees outside." I said. She shrugged.  
"The lake wasn't frozen. I still swam." she said.  
I went out to buy Christmas presents for everyone when I realized that the only people I wanted to buy for was Kanaya, John, Feferi, Tavros and maybe Eridan if he wasn't being douchey. I looked at my feet as I walked to Hogsmeade. They made imprints in the snow as I walked. Heel to toe, heel to toe. I watched myself walk into Christmas Break.  
The day I had to go home, I kissed Tavros goodbye and shook John's hand. Finally, I came on Kanaya.  
"You're staying?" I asked. She nodded, pulling her green scarf over her mouth. "I'll miss you." I said. She looked at me.  
"Good luck with the parents." she said. I grinned.  
"I'll be fine!" I said, and hugged her. I didn't want to let go. I didn't want to go home, and Kanaya reminded me of all the reasons I was still alive. She smelled like grass and ginger, and she was warm. I hadn't planned for the cold, and I shivered as the wind reminded me that I had a train to catch.  
"Bye, Kanaya."  
"Bye, Vriska. Happy Christmas."  
As I walked away, she muttered something to herself. I decided not to pry and went to a compartment with Feferi, Aradia, Sollux, Meenah, and Aranea, and prepared myself for the long winter to come.

Kanaya:  
I was glad to be on the Quidditch team, though both Terezi and Sollux seemed to take it much more seriously than I did. I did feel guilty after I aided Vriska in winning, but I felt I played well enough in the next game to make up for it. Sollux ended up in the hospital though, as did Nepeta. Vriska and Rose thought I should be there too. I was quite irritated at both of them.  
The week continued on, and I focused mostly on Quidditch practice and schoolwork. Porrim managed to get our next game-against Gryffindor-delayed, so Sollux would have time to heal. I spent a lot of time with him, and Vriska and Rose often followed me. I don’t know why. They were getting irritating.  
Not that I wanted Vriska to go away. She was...I don’t know how to describe her. She was full of life, and even more beautiful than ever.  
I had a very boring Divination class. It was a course I was beginning to regret taking, and I was quite glad when I got after it. Vriska approached me after class, and told me she was dating Tavros. My whole world crumbled-I didn’t even know she liked him, and though I was sure she didn’t feel that way about me, it hurt more than I thought it would.  
I could stand to stay there and talk to her like nothing had changed. I hurried away as quickly as possible, heading to the Ravenclaw Common Room. Not caring if anyone was in my dorm room, I hurried up to the room and threw myself down on the bed. I wouldn’t cry, but I stared into nothingness for a very long time.  
“You don’t look very happy,” a familiar voice said behind me. I didn’t bother turning around.  
“I am fine,” I said curtly, not wanting Rose to get angry at Vriska again. I still hadn’t totally forgiven either of them for the incident. Rose sighed.  
“Something’s clearly the issue, and I’m good at problems,” she pointed out. I ignored her. Perhaps it was childish, but I was not in the best state of mind. Finally, she sighed and moved away. I stared into space for a while longer, then realized I was late to Herbology. I rushed off.  
At dinner that night, I finally talked to Rose again. She shot me sidelong glances for a moment, before speaking. “You know, if you tell me all your secrets, I’ll run off and tell them to the entire school.”  
“That is quite a terrifying threat.”  
“It should be. I know I’ll manage to persuade you everything, and then I’ll use it to completely humiliate you. That’s the kind of person I am.”  
I still couldn’t tell her, because I didn’t want my two closest friends even more angry at each other again. I flashed her a smile. She pushed on doggedly.  
“Please, oh great one, I am worthy of your deeply guarded secrets!”  
“If you must know, it is Vriska,” I said finally, getting tired of hiding it from her. Her smile faltered, and I regretted the statement immediately. Why did the two of the have to hate each other so much?  
“What about her?”  
“She’s...dating Tavros,” I said, and immediately regretted it, because Rose was smart, and I had no idea what she would figure out from those very few words.  
Rose’s expression remained neutral. “That should make for a very interesting couple,” she said slowly. “I wouldn’t expect them to last.”  
I relaxed, grateful that Rose could understand people, and knew that she shouldn’t explode.  
“So, what did you think of the Potions homework?” she asked, quickly changing the subject. We talked and laughed for the rest of the night, and I could almost pretend that one night last year hadn’t happened, and I could almost pretend Vriska wasn’t dating Tavros.  
The next day was their date. I holed myself up in the common room, but Rose and Terezi seemed determined to cheer me up. They forced me to go down to Hogsmeade with them and Sollux, Eridan and Feferi. It would’ve been fun, but Eridan. Also, Sollux seemed distracted the whole time, as if he was looking for something.  
I knew the feeling.  
Vriska came and tracked Rose and I down in the library. I tried not to look at her, and spent most of my time focusing on Rose, trying not to think of Tavros. I don’t think I did very well.  
The next day, the headline in the news read, “Minister of Magic Adopts Muggleborn”  
I frowned. I knew that Feferi’s family had taken in Aradia after everything that happened, but I had thought they were going to remain silent about it for as long as possible. As I began to read the article, Sollux pushed up from his chair and headed over to Aradia. Feferi and Meenah were in a corner together, away from the tables, staring suspiciously at people. When Meenah caught me looking, she flipped me off.  
I looked down, reading the article.  
Minister Peixes made a radical decision earlier this month to take in recently orphaned Aradia Megido, a friend of her youngest daughter Feferi. Ms. Megido’s parents were both killed in SBURB attacks by the infamous Spades Slick, recently escaped from Azkaban.  
We spoke to some Ministry workers to get their opinion. Official Ampora, whose family is close friends with the Peixes, criticized the Minister. “Adopting a child is a big decision, and from what I know, Ms. Megido does not have the best past.” He goes on, saying, “A Muggleborn will never be well adjusted to the way Ms. Peixes lives.”  
Many agree with him, and believe the Peixes are making a bad decision. The Minister defends herself, stating “Aradia is a close friend of my daughter’s, and has outstanding grades at her school. She will be a welcome addition to our family.”  
The matter continues to be debated. We will have to wait to this summer to see what occurs.  
I scowled over at Eridan, recognizing his last name. He glared right back at me for a moment, but then glanced down, shooting a guilty look at Feferi. I hoped that he wasn’t in the same set of mind as his parents, but I had no doubts that he agreed with the article. Not that he would ever say so while Feferi was around.  
Rose ate calmly, but I could tell she was tense. I saw Nepeta go over to Feferi from the Hufflepuff table, and sit by Feferi, engaging her in friendly conversation. Feferi relaxed minutely. I knew what I had to do.  
I took a deep breath and walked over to the Slytherin table. Vriska looked up at me in surprise. I didn’t waste time with greetings. “Get your sister to go over to Meenah,” I said, staying calm.  
“Wh-”  
“Just do it,” I said, and turned and walked away. I could feel Vriska staring after me. I just hoped that she listened.  
I watched Meenah and Aranea from my corner of the hallway and wished. I wished, but I did not let myself look at Vriska, and I talked with Rose and Terezi for the rest of breakfast.  
I watched Aradia later that day in Transfiguration, which we had with the Gryffindors. She looked fine, but Terezi, Jade, Rose, Sollux, and I placed ourselves around her. Professor Redglare said nothing about our change in seating.  
The next day, there was another article and Meenah Peixes slapped Caliborn Umbra in the Main Hall. She got detention, but it was only a night. I think that the Handmaid understood.  
Peixes Ward’s Questionable Past  
The recent scandal has Minister Peixes taking in Muggleborn student Aradia Megido. Is she really a good friend and sister for the Minister’s youngest daughter? Ministry official Pyrope says not.  
“My daughter…[knew] Aradia when she was younger. She still won’t talk about what happened to their friendship, but I know Terezi ended up blind because of it.”  
Terezi Pyrope is his daughter, and also a student at Hogwarts.  
Ms. Megido was recently hospitalized for attempted suicide, and her fellow student Caliborn Umbra says he’s not surprised. “She’s always been a little weird,” Umbra said when pressed. “I’ve heard her talking to herself...honestly, she seems a little insane.”  
Is this the kind of girl that Minister Peixes wants to adopt, or even to be friends with her youngest daughter?  
Mrs. Peixes refused to comment.

I found myself repressing the urge to punch Caliborn upon finishing the article. Sollux glared mutinously at the table, and gripped the bench so tightly his knuckles turned white. I glanced at Terezi, who was busy methodically ripping the article into little shreds. When she finished, she shoved it in her mouth and grimaced.  
“Tath lie e’eit,” she said.  
“Pardon?”  
She spat it out onto the table, causing Rose, who was across from her, to grimace. “I said it tastes like deceit.” She scowled. “I hate my family.”  
The words made me glance over at Vriska who was in some sort of argument with Eridan. When I glanced back, Rose’s eyes were on me, and there was a strange look on her face that quickly faded. When she spoke again, her voice was neutral.  
“It wasn’t Aradia who blinded you,” she said to Terezi.  
“Will you please not start on that?” I said, exasperated already. Rose raised an eyebrow.  
“If it pleases you, I will sit in silence and let Aradia suffer.”  
Her voice dripped with sarcasm. I looked down, unable to meet her eyes.  
The stories about Aradia and Feferi punctuated the news, and the scandal didn’t die down, but we all got used to it. Well, some of us did at least. Sollux cursed a few Slytherins who made snide comments about both Aradia and Feferi, and Rose seemed convinced that the best way to help Aradia would be to ruin Vriska.  
Halloween passed by with little fanfare, and November fell into a routine. Hufflepuff beat Slytherin in their next match. Finally, our next Quidditch match came around. Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor-we were determined to win, but the game was far less personal than the last two had been. Though I was good friends with Jade, I was not determined to beat her.  
Terezi and Sollux, however, were extremely competitive.  
“If we do not win this, it will be the end of the world,” Terezi announced as we changed into our robes. Sollux groaned.  
“Please just shut up already and let us play.”  
“I will beat Strider,” Terezi muttered, voice quieter.  
We lined up on the field, and we were off. I loved the feel of the wind on my face. I looked at Terezi, who grinned in my general direction. The Summoner released the balls, and Terezi went into a sharp turn to catch the quaffle.  
The game was short-much shorter than the previous two. We were winning 70-50 when Sollux caught the snitch, grinning triumphantly.  
We celebrated later that day, but we still had a final match against Hufflepuff to prepare for. That took up much of my time.  
One day, a little while later, Rose stopped me in the hallway. Her eyes were off, but her smile was sincere. “I thought you might want to know that Vriska and I have cleared a truce.” I stared at her, more than a little surprised. Before I could say anything, the violet eyed girl was gone and I was alone in the corridor.  
I got proof from Vriska the next day that Rose’s statement was true, and I felt relaxed around both of them for the first time in a long time. I could truly focus on schoolwork and Quidditch, with minimal worrying about SBURB. They hadn’t had any truly major attack in a long time, but from the clear bias in the Daily Prophet, I feared that they had infiltrated the Ministry.  
Finally, the big Quidditch Game came around. I admit I was quite nervous-but I wasn’t as insane about it as some of my team-mates. Terezi refused to talk to Feferi for three days before the match, and Sollux spent all the time he could practicing. When he was off the field, he often shot glares at Equius. I get the feeling that wasn’t just because of Quidditch.  
The game started off in excitement, but it dragged on. I was determined to win though, and I played my best. I grew more and more angry at Equius as he first knocked my sister out of the air, and then Terezi. Why was he still allowed to play the game, after he’d injured multiple people?  
It was quite intimidating as the final chaser left in the air, and Hufflepuff passed us by ten, then thirty, then fifty points. But before they could score another goal, Sollux caught the snitch, and Ravenclaw had one for the third year in a row.  
I was euphoric, and when I touched the trophy, it felt like I was floating. It was amazing to be part of a team that had achieved that-the ultimate award. My happiness lasted long into the night, and well past it.  
School went on, and the nights lengthened. I spent time with Vriska, trying to forget about Tavros, and when that became too hard, I found solace in Rose. Meanwhile, I was still angry at Equius for the way he had played Quidditch. I did not dislike him as much as Sollux did, but I found myself watching warily whenever he came near, or whenever he took Aradia’s hand.  
Before anything could escalate, winter break pulled around. I had convinced my mum to let me stay, even though not many of my friends were staying as well. Just Karkat and Rose. John, Vriska’s friend was staying as well, and his troublemaking friend Dave.  
I watched Vriska leave on the train early one morning, and did not walk away it faded into the distance, the smoke not even visible in the sky.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not quite finished writing part two, so expect to wait a while for it. Sorry!  
> Please Kudos and like! Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


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